Influence of taste stimulation on sucking pressure in newborn infants at term.
Fernanda Segala, Geovana de Paula Bolzan, Marlove Duarte Nascimento and 4 others
PMID 35043860WHAT IT FOUND
Adding a single drop of colostrum to the pacifier during non-nutritive sucking assessment increased sucking pressure in healthy term newborns.
The experimental group showed a mean pressure of 3.6 mmHg compared to 3.1 mmHg in the control group. This suggests taste stimulation may enhance measurement sensitivity.
Key findings
01Mean sucking pressure was significantly higher in the group receiving colostrum taste stimulation (3.6 mmHg) compared to the control group (3.1 mmHg).
02Maximum sucking pressure was also significantly higher in the experimental group across all measurements, with an overall mean of 10.1 mmHg versus 8.4 mmHg in controls.
03The study was a quasi-experimental, non-randomized clinical trial with groups assigned by convenience.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was non-randomized, with participants assigned to groups by convenience, which introduces potential selection bias. The sample size was relatively small (n=60). Assessments were conducted at only a single time point, so the consistency of this effect over time or across different states of alertness is unknown. The volume of colostrum used was not precisely measured, described only as approximately one drop. The study assessed healthy, full-term infants, so results may not generalize to preterm infants or those with clinical instability.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the increased sucking pressure as evidence that colostrum improves long-term oral feeding skills or clinical outcomes. The study measured immediate pressure during a single assessment session in healthy infants, not feeding efficiency or developmental progress.