Assessment of lingual function when ankyloglossia (tongue-tie) is suspected.
Dental specialists are frequently confronted with the task of attempting to determine whether a cause and effect relationship exists between a short or restricting lingual frenum (ankyloglossia or tongue-tie) and a specific oral motor dysfunction. Because there is no standardized definition of what constitutes a condition of tongue-tie, the dental practitioner is often unsure as to the appropriate course of action with a patient with suspected ankyloglossia. This paper describes clinical measures that permit quantifying several anatomic and functional aspects of the tongue. Such baseline analysis provides a more definitive appraisal of lingual function as well as a more objective basis for making pre- and posttreatment comparisons.
D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D008035:Lingual Frenum / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013062:Speech Articulation Tests; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014059:Tongue / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology