Sensory-Motor-Oral Stimulation Combined with Early Sucking During the Mandibular Distraction Osteogenesis Process in Children with Robin Sequence.

UNLABELLED: ObjectiveTo describe the findings of children with Robin Sequence (RS) who received sensory-motor-oral stimulation combined with early sucking during mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO), compared with children who did not receive the intervention.DesignA quasi-experimental study.

SETTING

A tertiary public hospital.

PATIENTS: Children with RS referred to MDO. A historical group from the same population but managed according to the institution's standard protocol (no sucking) served as a control group.

INTERVENTIONS: Sensory-motor-oral stimulation, including sucking, starting 24 h after MDO (intervention group).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Our hypothesis is that sensory-motor-oral stimulation, including sucking during the DOM process, do not negatively affect surgical outcomes.ResultsTwenty-nine children were included. Eight (72.7%) of the 11 patients in the intervention group and 13 (72.2%) of the 18 controls had MDO complications, with no significant difference between the groups (p = 1.000). The most common surgical outcome was antibiotic therapy for surgical site infection (76.2%). Six months after MDO, 22 (75.9%) children attained full oral feeding or associated with alternative feeding methods.ConclusionThe intervention group did not have higher complication rates, from a surgical point of view, than control group. The protocol adopted by some centers that contraindicates sucking during MDO should be revised to consider the benefits of such stimulation.