Tendency of tongue positioning during crying in infants with and without lingual frenulum alteration

The study aimed to verify the interference of lingual frenulum with tongue positioning during crying in infants with normal and altered lingual frenulum. From the administration of the Neonatal Tongue Screening Test (NTST) 641 healthy full-term infants of both genders were diagnosed with or without lingual frenulum alteration at the first month of life. Both groups were included in this study. The tendency of tongue positioning during crying was observed and analyzed in both groups and the Chi-square test was used for the statistical treatment at 5% significance level (p<0,05). Of the 641 subjects, 222 infants (34,6%) had lingual frenulum alteration and 419 (65,4%) had normal lingual frenulum. Of the 222 infants with lingual frenulum alteration, 87 (39,2%) were female and 135 (60,8%) were male. Of the 419 with normal lingual frenulum, 217 (51,7%) were female and 202 (48,3%) were male. In infants with normal lingual frenulum, the tongue tended to be in the midline position or elevated during crying. In infants with altered lingual frenulum, the tongue tended to be in the midline position with lateral elevation or down-positioned with lateral elevation. The statistical analysis demonstrated there is a relationship between the lingual frenulum and the tendency of tongue positioning during crying (p=0,001). Tongue positioning during crying is different in infants with and without lingual frenulum alteration.