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Background: Release of tongue-tie in the newborn has been performed on a more regular basis at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children (CHWC) in Canberra, Australia since 2006 and clear clinical pathways and guidelines have been established. Since that time, there has been an increase in the numbers referred for tongue-tie assessment. In 2018, the tongue-tie assessment and treatment forms were modified to capture more data during the breastfeeding and tongue-tie assessment. Aims: To review the mother/baby pairs who were assessed for tongue-tie release at the CHWC in 2014 and 2018. Methods: Tongue-tie assessment and treatment forms for babies referred for tongue-tie release from 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014 and 1 January 2018 to 30 June 2018 were reviewed. Data collected included gestational age, birth weight, gender, day of release, tongue-tie type and additionally, data from 2018 included presenting breastfeeding problems, frenulum attachment to the inferior alveolar ridge (IAR) and immediate breastfeeding outcomes. Results: In 2014, 115 mother/baby pairs were assessed for tongue-tie release, and this increased by 25% to 143 mother/ baby pairs in 2018 over the same 6-month period. In 2014, 109/115(95%) tongue-tie releases were performed and in 2018 there was a non-significant 1% decrease, with 135/143(94%) releases. There was also a shift in the tongue-tie type presenting in 2018, with more 25% (Type 4) attachments (17/113[15%] vs 41/143[28.7%] p=0.01 respectively) and fewer 100% (Type 1) attachments (18/113[15.9%] vs 11/143[7.7%] p=0.039 respectively). Regarding the IAR, all the 75- 100% tongue-ties attached to the IAR, together with a significant proportion of the 25 to 50% tongue-ties. Conclusion: While there was an increase in referrals between 2014 and 2018, there was no evidence of a significant increase in number of tongue-tie releases between the two periods. This may reflect the importance of a thorough assessment of breastfeeding, breastfeeding problems and tongue function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is currently very little data available that describe the medium-term breastfeeding outcomes of mother/baby dyads who have previously had tongue-tie (TT) division in the neonatal period. As well the effects seen on introducing solids, speech development and dental health post TT division is described poorly. This study aims to review these outcomes in children up to 3 years of age. We undertook a cohort follow-up study on all mother/baby dyads who had a TT divided at Canberra Hospital between 1 July 2013 and 30 June 2014. The mothers were contacted by telephone at 9 and 38 months and we asked them specific questions, focusing on breastfeeding, solids intake and speech and dental outcomes. We followed up 109/185 (58.9%) and 112/185 (60.5%] mother/baby dyads and breastfeeding rates were 68/108 (63.0%) and 5/112 (4.5%) at 9 and 38 months respectively. The prevalence of perceived speech and dental problems attributed to the TT was found to be 2/112 (1.8%) and 8/112 (7.1%) respectively. This follow-up study has shown an increased rate of breastfeeding compared to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) average. There was no difference in the timeline for introducing solid foods. The prevalence of both speech and dental problems as perceived by mothers in this cohort appeared to be lower than the corresponding national data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Over the last decade, a number of studies have demonstrated that early division of tongue-tie (TT) is associated with significant feeding benefits to both mother and baby. Notwithstanding, it remains a controversial procedure. We examined the breastfeeding outcomes of a cohort of babies at 1-2 weeks (follow-up 1) and 3-5 months (follow-up 2], post-TT division. Methods We undertook a cohort study on all mother/baby dyads who had a TT divided at Canberra Hospital between 1 July 2013 and 30 June 2014. We contacted the mothers of both follow-up groups by telephone, focusing on breastfeeding and maternal pain. Results Follow-up 1 consisted of 116/182 (63.7%) of mothers in the study; contacted at 12.4±7.8 days post-division. Of these, 107/116 (92.2%) were still breastfeeding, with 11/15 (73.3%) of the mothers who had ceased breastfeeding before division having re-established it at the time of follow-up (p<0.001). Additionally, 90/101 (89.1%) valid responses reported decreased nipple pain following TT division. Follow-up 2 consisted of 112/182 (61.5%) of all mothers in the study; contacted at 3.7±1.8 months of age. Of these, 86/112 (76.8%) were still breastfeeding, with 11/15 (73.3%) of mothers who had ceased breastfeeding before division having re-established it at follow-up (p<0.001). Conclusion A divided TT was associated with benefits at both periods of follow-up. There was (i) an increase in overall breastfeeding rates and (ii) a decrease in maternal pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]