Clinical and instrumental evaluation of non-nutritive sucking in newborns before and after frenotomy: a case report.
Danielle Cristine Marques, Renata Maria Moreira Moraes Furlan, Narciso Sena Fracaroli and 3 others
PMID 40802300WHAT IT FOUND
In six newborns with tongue-tie, frenotomy led to immediate improvements in non-nutritive sucking.
Clinical scores rose and instrumental measures showed stronger, more frequent suction. This small case series suggests potential benefit but cannot prove efficacy or predict breastfeeding success.
Key findings
01Clinical non-nutritive sucking scores improved significantly after frenotomy, with mean positive item scores rising from 39.8 to 77.3 and negative items falling from 15.6 to 3.1.
02Instrumental assessment showed statistically significant increases in the number of suction groups, total suctions, and mean suction pressure after the procedure.
03The study did not assess nutritive sucking or breastfeeding effectiveness, so improvements in non-nutritive sucking do not guarantee better feeding outcomes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Very small sample size of only six newborns. No control group or blinding of evaluators. Follow-up was limited to 48 hours, providing no data on long-term outcomes. The study assessed only non-nutritive sucking, not actual breastfeeding or nutritive sucking effectiveness. Instrumental device was custom-developed and not commercially available.
Declared interests
The authors declared no financial support or conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that improved non-nutritive sucking scores guarantee successful breastfeeding. The study did not measure nutritive sucking or maternal nipple pain, so clinical decisions about feeding support must be based on actual feeding assessments, not just NNS data.