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Oral-motor dysfunction at 10 months corrected gestational age in infants born less than 37 weeks preterm
Charlotte A Buswell1, Paula Leslie, Nicholas D Embleton
1Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust (NHS), Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Charlotte.Buswell@nuth.nhs.uk
Insights
Oral-motor dysfunction can affect preterm infants even in later infancy. This feeding issue was observed in some infants, but not predicted by common neonatal risk factors.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neonatology
- Developmental Neuroscience
Background:
- Feeding difficulties are prevalent in preterm infants, impacting nutrition, growth, and parental well-being.
- While oral-motor dysfunction is known in early infancy, its occurrence in later infancy with varied food consistencies is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of oral-motor dysfunction in preterm infants at 10 months corrected gestational age.
- To investigate potential links between oral-motor dysfunction and neonatal risk factors like gestational age, oxygen use, and feeding establishment time.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 15 preterm infants (born <37 weeks gestational age) was assessed at 10 months corrected gestational age.
- The Schedule for Oral Motor Assessment, a validated tool, was used to evaluate feeding-related oral-motor function.
- Infants' neonatal histories, including gestational age and oxygen requirements, were reviewed.
Main Results:
- Oral-motor dysfunction was identified in 3 out of 15 preterm infants.
- All affected infants were born after 31 weeks gestational age.
- No significant associations were found between oral-motor dysfunction and the studied neonatal risk factors.
Conclusions:
- Oral-motor dysfunction can manifest in preterm infants during later infancy.
- Current neonatal risk factors do not reliably predict the presence of later infancy oral-motor dysfunction.
- Further research is needed to establish the prevalence and clinical significance of oral-motor dysfunction in this population.
Abstract:
Feeding difficulties are common in preterm infants. These may be associated with inadequate dietary intake, poor growth, and parental anxiety. Oral-motor dysfunction has been observed in preterm infants during sucking and the early stages of weaning but has not been rigorously studied in later infancy when eating a range of food consistencies. We aimed to establish if oral-motor dysfunction during feeding occurs in preterm infants in later infancy and to explore the relationships with specific neonatal risk factors: gestational age at birth, prolonged supplementary oxygen requirement, and delay in establishing full oral feeding. Infants born less than 37 weeks gestational age were evaluated once at 10 months corrected gestational age using a validated feeding assessment (Schedule for Oral Motor Assessment). Fifteen infants were enrolled (9 males, 6 females; median gestational age at birth = 33 weeks, range = 25-36 weeks; median birth weight = 1890 g, range = 710-2950 g). Oral-motor dysfunction was observed in three infants all born after 31 weeks gestation. No relationship was found with the neonatal risk factors. This study indicates that oral-motor dysfunction may occur in later infancy and is not easily predicted from specific neonatal risk factors. Further study is required to evaluate the true prevalence and the health implications of oral-motor dysfunction in this population in later infancy.
