Public Perceptions of Ankyloglossia on Reddit: A Cross-Sectional Thematic and Sentiment Analysis

The incidence and treatment rates of ankyloglossia have been rising with significant variability in practice patterns. A 2020 clinical consensus statement by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery acknowledged these controversies. Reddit is a platform where patients and caregivers seek advice and share healthcare experiences. This study analyzed Reddit discussions referencing ankyloglossia to assess discussion themes, emotional sentiment, and diagnostic and practice patterns.

Reddit posts and comments were collected using a Python script from relevant subreddits between December 2018 and February 2025. Entries were labeled for themes, poster identity, symptoms, and diagnostic providers. Sentiment scores were generated using the VADER NLP algorithm. Descriptive statistics were calculated in R.

A total of 2521 entries were analyzed. Most common themes were personal experiences (14.3%), offering advice (10.3%), and seeking advice (7.8%). Authors were typically adolescent/adult patients (35.9%) or parents (34.9%). Diagnosing providers were most often dentists (6.2%) and lactation consultants (5.9%). Overall sentiment skewed positive (56.4%), though 34.5% of entries were negative. Posts regarding financial concerns (-0.05) and postoperative symptoms (0.08) had the lowest sentiment scores. An average 44% increase in post frequency was observed per 6-month interval across the study period (p < 0.001). Median time to first comment was 135 min.

Reddit reveals significantly increasing engagement in ankyloglossia discussions. Varied sentiment and discussion themes highlight the need for standardized interdisciplinary guidelines and improved patient-provider communication. Enhanced interdisciplinary counseling further mitigates misinformation and effectively supports caregivers. Future studies should explore interventions that address misinformation and emotional burden.

4.