Relationship between short lingual frenulum and malocclusion. A multicentre study.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Otolaryngology
• Orthodontics
• Craniofacial Biology

Background:

• Ankyloglossia, or tongue-tie, involves a short lingual frenulum restricting tongue movement.
• This condition is biologically plausible to affect craniofacial development and occlusion.
• However, empirical evidence linking ankyloglossia to malocclusion remains limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between ankyloglossia and dental malocclusion in children.
• To determine if a short lingual frenulum is a risk factor for developing specific types of malocclusion.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study included 100 children aged 4-14 years.
• Participants were screened for ankyloglossia using the Marchesan system.
• Occlusion was assessed by a blinded orthodontics expert.

Main Results:

• 48% of children with ankyloglossia had malocclusion, compared to 24% in controls.
• The odds ratio for malocclusion in ankyloglossia patients was 2.92 (p=.012).
• This association was significant for class III malocclusion (p=.029) but not class II (p=.317).

Conclusions:

• The study supports a significant association between ankyloglossia and malocclusion.
• Specifically, a short lingual frenulum is linked to an increased risk of class III malocclusion.