Diagnosis of ankyloglossia in newborns: is there any difference related to the screening method?

PURPOSE: To diagnose ankyloglossia in newborns and compare two lingual frenulum assessment instruments.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was carried out in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, in 2018, with 147 mothers/newborns aged up to 30 days. The Bristol Tongue Assessment Tool and the Lingual Frenulum Evaluation Protocol for Infants were the instruments used. Sociodemographic data were also recorded. The two ankyloglossia diagnostic methods were compared using the McNemar test, obtaining the kappa agreement value and the confidence interval.

RESULTS

Ankyloglossia was present in 4.8% when diagnosed with the Bristol Tongue Assessment Tool, and in 17.0% with the Tongue-Tie Test. Regarding sex, 53.1% of the newborns were males and 46.9% were females; however, there was no association between ankyloglossia and the newborn's sex in either of the assessment methods.

CONCLUSION

The ankyloglossia diagnosis in newborns varied depending on the assessment instrument used.