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Development of perioral muscle activity during suckling in infants: a cross-sectional and follow-up study
Y Tamura1, S Matsushita, K Shinoda
1Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Asahi University School of Dentistry, Motosu, Gifu, Japan.
Insights
Infant muscle activity during breastfeeding increases with age, primarily driven by suprahyoid muscles. This suggests tongue and jaw movements are key to developing sucking strength in babies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Physiology
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Perioral muscle activity is crucial for infant feeding.
- Understanding muscle development during suckling informs infant care and interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the electromyographic (EMG) activity of perioral muscles in infants aged 1-5 months during breastfeeding.
- To determine how muscle activity changes with age during the suckling period.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study of 56 infants (1-5 months) and a follow-up study of 18 infants were conducted.
- EMGs were recorded from temporalis (TM), masseter (MM), orbicularis oris (OM), and suprahyoid (SM) muscles during suckling.
- Muscle activity was analyzed in relation to infant age.
Main Results:
- Suprahyoid (SM) muscle activity significantly increased with infant age.
- Temporalis (TM), masseter (MM), and orbicularis oris (OM) muscle activity showed no significant age-related increase.
- Overall perioral muscle activity demonstrated a significant increase with age in both study groups.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that active tongue and jaw-lowering movements, primarily involving suprahyoid muscles, are essential for increasing sucking strength in infants.
- These age-related changes in muscle recruitment highlight the dynamic development of feeding mechanisms in early infancy.
Abstract:
The activity of the perioral muscles during breastfeeding in infants was investigated using EMGs. Fifty-six infants aged from 1 to 5 months were classified into five groups according to month of age in the cross-sectional study. Follow-up was carried out on 18 infants whose mean age was 2.5 months at the initial examination, and 4.8 months at the second. During suckling, EMGs were recorded unilaterally from the temporalis (TM), the masseter (MM), the orbicularis oris (OM), and the suprahyoid (SM) muscle groups. The activity of the SM increased significantly with age, while there was no appreciable increase in the activity of the TM, MM, and OM in either the cross-sectional study or the follow-up. However, total muscle activity was shown to increase significantly in both parts of the study. These findings suggest that the active tongue- and jaw-lowering movement may play a primary role in increasing sucking strength during the suckle-feeding period in infants.