title: Multidisciplinary management of ankyloglossia in childhood. Treatment of 101 cases. A protocol.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Partial ankyloglossia is a limitation which restricts the possibility of protrusion and elevation of the tip of the tongue due to the shortness of either the lingual frenulum or the genioglossus muscles or both. The principal objective of this paper is to present our protocol of action for the treatment of ankyloglossia. The specific objectives are to study patients with ankyloglossia treated by the Service of Maxillofacial Surgery and the Service of Speech Therapy of our pediatric Hospital, describe the diagnostic procedures, the pre-surgical intervention, the surgical technique undertaken and the post-surgical rehabilitation taking into account the level of collaboration of the patients, and finally, describe the surgical complications and the referral of patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a descriptive study of healthy patients, without any diagnosis of syndrome, ranging between 4 and 14 years that have been surgically treated and rehabilitated post-surgery within a period of 2 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  101 frenectomies and lingual plasties have been performed and patients have been treated following the protocol of action that we hereby present. After the surgical intervention, the degree of ankyloglossia has been improved, considering correction in 29 (28%) of the patients (95% CI: 20%, 38%), reaching, with the post-surgical orofacial rehabilitation, a correction of 97 (96%) of the participants (95% CI: 90%, 98%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The chosen surgical technique for moderate-severe ankyloglossia in our centre is the frenectomy and lingual plasty. The myofunctional training begins one week before the surgical intervention so that the patients learn the exercises without pain.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Dentistry Service, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Service, Hospital de Nens de Barcelona, Consell de Cent 437, 08009 Barcelona, Spain, elviraferres@hospitaldenens.com.
authors.forename: Elvira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferrés-Amat
authors.forename: Tomasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pastor-Vera
authors.forename: Eduard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferrés-Amat
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mareque-Bueno
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prats-Armengol
authors.forename: Eduard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferrés-Padró
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000072676:Ankyloglossia; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009056:Mouth Abnormalities / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery*; D010348:Patient Care Team