Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Non-Nutritive Suck Parameters Measurements Using a Custom Pressure Transducer System
Published on: April 19, 2024
Sucking performance of babies with cleft conditions
Julie Reid1, Sheena Reilly, Nicky Kilpatrick
1Speech Pathology Department, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. julie.reid@rch.org.au
Objective:
To describe the sucking performance of bottle-fed babies with cleft conditions.
Participants:
Forty 2-week-old-babies with cleft lip (CL; n = 8), cleft palate (CP; n = 22), and cleft lip and palate (CLP; n = 10) were examined.
Methods:
Suction, compression, and other sucking parameters were measured during bottle-feeding and compared to determine if they varied with cleft condition or feeding ability.
Results:
All babies with CL and one with CLP demonstrated suction. Thirteen of 22 babies with CP demonstrated suction but only three maintained regular pressure changes over time. Between-group differences in the amplitude of suction and compression were associated with cleft condition. Cleft lip participants demonstrated the greatest amplitude of suction followed by those with CP and CLP. Cleft lip and CP participants generated similar amplitudes of compression. This was greater than their counterparts with CLP. Good feeders (n = 15) generated high levels of suction, while satisfactory (n = 15) and poor feeders (n = 10) did not generate any during bottle-feeding.
Conclusion:
Between-group differences in intra-oral pressures were confirmed when babies were examined by cleft condition. Babies with smaller clefts (i.e., CL or minor soft palate clefts) were more likely to generate normal levels of suction and compression compared to their counterparts with larger clefts. Since good feeders were more likely to have smaller clefts it was not surprising that they demonstrated higher suction pressures than babies with satisfactory or poor feeding ability. Compression values were not significantly different across the feeding ability groups. These data may inform feeding management strategies.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Suctioning the Oropharyngeal Airway
After assembling the equipment, the nurse should practice hand hygiene and don appropriate PPE according to infection control guidelines to avoid the...
Suctioning the Nasopharyngeal Airway
Equipment Required
Development of the Oral Microbiota
Psychosexual Stages of Personality: Oral
Weaning, typically occurring around the age...
Assessment of the Mouth
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.
Oral Cavity
Teeth: The teeth are the hardest structures in our bodies. Humans have two sets of teeth throughout their lifetime: deciduous (baby) teeth and permanent teeth. Each tooth consists of several parts: the crown (visible part), the root (embedded in the jaw), enamel (hard outer...

