Ankyloglossia and Other Oral Ties

Jonathan Walsh; Margo McKenna Benoit

doi:10.1016/j.otc.2019.06.008

Ankyloglossia and Other Oral Ties

Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2019 Oct;52(5):795-811. doi: 10.1016/j.otc.2019.06.008. Epub 2019 Jul 25.

Authors

Jonathan Walsh¹, Margo McKenna Benoit²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, 601 North Caroline Street, 6th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
² Department of Otolaryngology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 629, Rochester, NY 14642, USA. Electronic address: Margo_Benoit@urmc.rochester.edu.

PMID: 31353141
DOI: 10.1016/j.otc.2019.06.008

Abstract

Ankyloglossia and other oral ties have been recognized for centuries, but interest in and literature on these topics has recently increased. This article presents the latest evidence on the diagnosis and management of tongue-tie and outlines some of the controversies and gaps in the existing evidence. Anterior tongue-tie is accepted in most clinical practices as a potential risk for breastfeeding difficulty, and good evidence exists that division of an anterior tongue-tie leads to improved breastfeeding outcomes. Posterior tongue ties and upper lip-ties are being studied more intensively to provide sound, evidence-based recommendations on their diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords: Ankyloglossia; Frenotomy; Frenulectomy; Lip-tie; Tongue-tie.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Ankyloglossia / diagnosis
Ankyloglossia / surgery*
Breast Feeding
Humans
Infant
Mouth Abnormalities / diagnosis
Mouth Abnormalities / surgery*
Oral Surgical Procedures / adverse effects*
Oral Surgical Procedures / methods
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Tongue / pathology
Tongue / surgery*