Here at Agave Pediatrics, we seek to support the healthy growth and development of our patients, but also strive to support the growth and development of our local community. One of the ways in which we do this is by providing research opportunities to students at Arizona State University (ASU).
A research project using de-identified data of 928 breastfeeding mother-infant dyads diagnosed with ankyloglossia (tongue tie) was recently completed at ASU. The study investigated the relationship between age, the incidence of tongue tie, and improvement of maternal and infant symptoms following frenectomy.
The results showed that infant age had different effects on the likelihood of maternal and infant symptom improvements, and that the appearance/classification of the tongue tie is not correlated with the severity of symptoms. This is in line with our approach of addressing functional impairments rather than appearance alone. Future research suggested by the team at ASU includes the development of a better diagnostic tool for tongue tie as well as a prospective study on the effects of frenectomy on breastfeeding symptoms. We are happy to be able to say that these research projects are already underway, and should be published in the near future.
The ASU poster for the study can be seen below.
Thank you to the researchers at ASU for all your work!