Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2025
05:56
Objectification of Tongue Diagnosis in Traditional Medicine, Data Analysis, and Study Application
Published on: April 14, 2023
2.3K
Systematic Review of Tongue Tie Publications: Exponential Rise in Publications Without Exponential Increase in
Annie R Thornton1, Emily A Montgomery1, M Elise Graham2
1Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Summary
Research on ankyloglossia (tongue-tie) and lingual frenotomy in infants shows a growing number of studies but a lack of high-quality evidence. Future research should focus on randomized controlled trials with meaningful outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric medicine
- Otolaryngology
- Evidence-based practice
Background:
- Ankyloglossia (tongue-tie) and lingual frenotomy in infants and young children are subjects of ongoing debate.
- The existing body of research is characterized by a high volume but low quality of studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the literature on ankyloglossia and lingual frenotomy.
- To identify the number, type, and quality of studies evaluating diagnosis and treatment.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review was conducted using PubMed, Embase, and Ovid MEDLINE (2017-2024).
- Two independent reviewers assessed English-language articles focusing on ankyloglossia in children.
- 462 articles were included for full-text extraction.
Main Results:
- Cohort studies were most common (38.7%), while randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were rare (2.8%).
- Many studies focused on frenotomy techniques without strong evidence of superiority.
- A lack of objective outcome measures (e.g., breastfeeding duration, infant growth) was noted.
- Existing ankyloglossia classification systems prioritize appearance over function.
Conclusions:
- Publications on ankyloglossia and lingual frenotomy continue to rise exponentially.
- There has not been a corresponding increase in evidence to resolve controversies surrounding these topics.
- Future research should prioritize high-quality RCTs with meaningful outcome measures.
