Parental bliss and clinical success? Feeding outcomes after tongue tie release
Tracks
Concurrent session T5
Infant feeding
Orofacial myofunctional disorders
Paediatric/Infant
Research
Swallowing
| Tuesday, May 28, 2024 |
| 11:50 AM - 12:05 PM |
| River View Room 05 |
Overview
Sharon Smart and Irene Orkopoulos
Details
⏫ Research insights
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Foundational (new/casual familiarity with the topic e.g. treated a single case)
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Foundational (new/casual familiarity with the topic e.g. treated a single case)
Presenter
Dr Sharon Smart
Lecturer, School Of Allied Health
Curtin University
Parental bliss and clinical success? Feeding outcomes after tongue tie release
11:50 AM - 12:05 PMPresentation summary
In this presentation, we will discuss how infants with tongue tie (TT) can encounter difficulties in breastfeeding and bottle feeding. There is a growing emphasis on the need to define TT by considering both its functional and structural impacts on feeding function within speech pathology and other health professions. The existing body of literature lacks comprehensive research that directly compares clinical and parental outcomes resulting from TT surgery in infants. This knowledge gap is compounded by the lack of clinical consensus when it comes to assessing, diagnosing, and managing TT. Given the impact of TT on challenges with breast and bottle feeding, there is a pressing need to better understand the clinical and parental impacts.
Methods: This prospective longitudinal cohort study recruited 20 infants under six-months with TT. Infants diagnosed with TT who were breast or bottle and breastfed were recruited, with no underlying medical conditions, and no previous TT release. Clinical evaluation of tongue appearance, feeding function, and parental measures of feeding function was conducted before surgery, after surgery and four to six weeks post-frenotomy.
Results: The findings revealed improvements in a range of established clinical and parental outcome measures after TT release. However, significant improvements were only seen for one component of the Early Feeding Skills clinical assessment and one subscale on the NeoEAT parent outcome measure. There was no significant correlation between clinical and parental assessments suggesting that these capture different constructs.
Conclusion: The results of this study underscore the importance of employing comprehensive assessments that incorporate both parental and clinical evaluations in the management of TT. This approach ensures a holistic understanding of TT and measures both structural and functional outcomes over time. By considering both clinical and parental perspectives, speech pathologists can make more informed and patient-centred decisions in the management of TT in infants.
Methods: This prospective longitudinal cohort study recruited 20 infants under six-months with TT. Infants diagnosed with TT who were breast or bottle and breastfed were recruited, with no underlying medical conditions, and no previous TT release. Clinical evaluation of tongue appearance, feeding function, and parental measures of feeding function was conducted before surgery, after surgery and four to six weeks post-frenotomy.
Results: The findings revealed improvements in a range of established clinical and parental outcome measures after TT release. However, significant improvements were only seen for one component of the Early Feeding Skills clinical assessment and one subscale on the NeoEAT parent outcome measure. There was no significant correlation between clinical and parental assessments suggesting that these capture different constructs.
Conclusion: The results of this study underscore the importance of employing comprehensive assessments that incorporate both parental and clinical evaluations in the management of TT. This approach ensures a holistic understanding of TT and measures both structural and functional outcomes over time. By considering both clinical and parental perspectives, speech pathologists can make more informed and patient-centred decisions in the management of TT in infants.
Key messages
1. The importance of considering both functional and structural aspects in assessing and managing tongue tie (TT) in infants, particularly in the context of breastfeeding and bottle feeding challenges.
2. Learn about clinical measures and parental measures that clinicians can utilise in assessment, diagnosis and to measure treatment effectiveness in infants with TT.
3. Understand the necessity for comprehensive assessments that incorporate clinical and parental evaluations to achieve a holistic understanding of TT and make more patient-centred decisions in its management by speech pathologists.
2. Learn about clinical measures and parental measures that clinicians can utilise in assessment, diagnosis and to measure treatment effectiveness in infants with TT.
3. Understand the necessity for comprehensive assessments that incorporate clinical and parental evaluations to achieve a holistic understanding of TT and make more patient-centred decisions in its management by speech pathologists.
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Sharon Smart is a Lecturer in the Curtin School of Allied Health. She has an extensive clinical background to underscores her role as an educator and researcher.
In her academic role, Sharon has been involved in coordinating and instructing undergraduate and postgraduate courses related to paediatric feeding, swallowing, speech and language disorders. Her expertise extends into the realm of clinical research, with a particular focus on infant feeding, swallowing disorders in children, tongue-tie, and paediatric speech and language development.
In addition to her academic pursuits, Sharon continues to actively practice as a practicing speech pathologist, with children with feeding and swallowing difficulties. Her aim is to bridge the gap between clinical practice and research to transform clinical challenges into research initiatives. She is committed to teaching evidence-based assessment and intervention strategies to the next generation of aspiring speech pathologists, ensuring the continuity of excellence within her field.
Ms Irene Orkopoulos
Parental bliss and clinical success? Feeding outcomes after tongue tie release
11:50 AM - 12:05 PM**********
Dr Mary Claessen
Senior Advisor Professional Standards
Speech Pathology Australia
Parental bliss and clinical success? Feeding outcomes after tongue tie release
11:50 AM - 12:05 PM**********
Session chair
Mary Claessen
Senior Advisor Professional Standards
Speech Pathology Australia
Student volunteer(s)
Lillian Hennessy-Ellis
Student
Curtin University
Tanvi Patel
Curtin University
The information contained in this program is current at of the time of publishing but is subject to changes made without notice.
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