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. 2024 Dec;25(6):791-799.
doi: 10.1007/s40368-024-00938-y. Epub 2024 Aug 29.

Restricted tongue mobility and ankyloglossia in 6-8-year-old Vietnamese school children: prevalence and association with tongue strength and endurance

D A Hoang  1   2 , T M Nguyen  3 , T Jagomägi  4
Affiliations

Restricted tongue mobility and ankyloglossia in 6-8-year-old Vietnamese school children: prevalence and association with tongue strength and endurance

D A Hoang et al. Eur Arch Paediatr Dent. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: Generating adequate tongue pressure against the hard palate requires full-range mobility of the tongue. The study aimed to (1) determine the prevalence of restricted tongue mobility and ankyloglossia and (2) determine whether, in children with restricted tongue mobility, their condition also affects tongue pressure.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of healthy 6-8-year-old children from primary schools in central Vietnam was conducted in 2019. Restricted tongue mobility and ankyloglossia were graded using the tongue range of motion ratio (TRMR), with the tongue-tip-to-incisive papillae (TIP) for the anterior tongue tip and lingual-palatal suction (LPS) for the posterior two-thirds of the tongue. Tongue strength and tongue endurance were measured by the Iowa Oral Pressure Instrument. Statistical analysis investigated the associations between tongue mobility and tongue pressure measurement.

Results: Five hundred twelve children (46.5% female, mean age 7.2 ± 0.2 years) were assessed. The prevalence of anterior ankyloglossia and restricted mobility was 17.5%, with 16.2% cases of less than 50% mobility and 1.3% cases of less than 25% mobility. The prevalence of posterior ankyloglossia and restricted mobility with less than 30% mobility was 28.9%. Anterior restricted mobility was not a predictor of reduced tongue pressure. Posterior restricted mobility in LPS was independently associated with tongue strength but not tongue endurance.

Conclusion: Restrictions of posterior tongue mobility in ankyloglossia are more frequent than restrictions in anterior tongue mobility. Reduced tongue strength is related to mobility and the severity of restrictions in the posterior tongue. These findings suggest that restricted posterior tongue mobility may affect tongue muscle weakness.

Keywords: Ankyloglossia; Restricted tongue mobility; Tongue endurance; Tongue pressure; Tongue strength.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations Conflicts of interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Ethical approval All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the Bioethics Committee of the Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam (No. H2018/16). Consent to participate Written informed consent was obtained from all children and parents/caregivers. Consent to publish Not applicable.

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