Comparison of the introduction of consistencies in complementary feeding introduction between preterm and full-term newborns - Cohort from 0 to 12 months.
Hellen Nataly Correia Lagos Guimarães, Andriéllen Marciniak, Lívia Dos Santos Paula and 2 others
PMID 37851757WHAT IT FOUND
Preterm and full-term infants in this cohort showed no difference in how they handled food textures or oral motor function.
However, infants who had invasive oral procedures or used bottles were significantly more likely to have oral motor difficulties, regardless of gestational age.
Key findings
01There was no significant difference in the prevalence of oral motor dysfunction between preterm and full-term infants.
02Bottle feeding at discharge and invasive oral procedures were strong predictors of oral motor dysfunction, increasing the odds by approximately seven and five times respectively.
03Pasty consistencies were introduced early (around four months) in both preterm and full-term groups, with no significant difference in the age of introduction.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
High dropout rate (63 infants lost to follow-up) may introduce selection bias. The full-term group was not a general population sample; they were selected because they had reported breastfeeding difficulties, potentially inflating OMD rates in this group. The study population was predominantly late preterm infants, so results may not apply to extremely preterm infants with higher neurodevelopmental risk. All infants received interprofessional follow-up care, which may have mitigated feeding difficulties and reduced the observed differences between groups (intervention bias).
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume preterm infants have worse feeding outcomes than full-term infants based on this study. The full-term group was selected for having feeding difficulties, and both groups had similar rates of oral motor dysfunction. The key risk factors identified were invasive procedures and bottle use, not prematurity itself.