title: Acquired palatal groove and delayed oral feeding in preterm infants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acquired palatal groove has been reported in the 1970s and 1980s, but its current incidence in Japanese newborns is unclear. The aims of this study were to determine the incidence of palatal groove in preterm infants and to evaluate whether this condition affects oral feeding ability.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a prospective observational study among very low-birthweight infants born at Takatsuki General Hospital, Osaka, between March and October in 2010. The shape of the hard palate was classified into three types: normal, narrow high-arched palate, and palatal groove.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 37 enrolled infants, 14 (38%) had palatal groove. In particular, among the 29 infants with birthweight <1000 g, palatal groove was observed in 48% of these patients, and only 10% were normal. Infants with palatal groove were ventilated for considerably more days with oral endotracheal tube than those without palate groove, even after adjustment for gestational age, birthweight, and duration of oral duodenal tube placement (OR, 1.11). Establishment of oral feeding and disappearance of choking on milk were considerably delayed in infants with palatal groove. Transient oral feeding difficulty requiring thickened-feed intervention was observed only in infants with palatal groove; on multi-regression analysis this difficulty seemed to be induced by the palatal groove.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Palatal groove formation induced by oral endotracheal intubation occurs with a high frequency in preterm infants, and this is likely to affect oral feeding ability.
authors: Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Takatsuki General Hospital, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
authors: Masahiro
authors: M
authors: Enomoto
authors: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Takatsuki General Hospital, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
authors: Hiromi
authors: H
authors: Sezaki
authors: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Takatsuki General Hospital, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
authors: Rie
authors: R
authors: Muranishi
authors: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Takatsuki General Hospital, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
authors: Yumi
authors: Y
authors: Sato
authors: Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Takatsuki General Hospital, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
authors: Shin
authors: S
authors: Kikuchi
authors: Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Takatsuki General Hospital, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
authors: Yoshinori
authors: Y
authors: Katayama
authors: Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Takatsuki General Hospital, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
authors: Atsuko
authors: A
authors: Takei
authors: Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Takatsuki General Hospital, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
authors: Hitoshi
authors: H
authors: Ikegami
authors: Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.
authors: Mio
authors: M
authors: Sakuma
authors: Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Takatsuki General Hospital, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
authors: Hirotaka
authors: H
authors: Minami
mesh_terms: D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D007571:Jaw Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D021362:Palate, Hard / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: endotracheal tube; high arched palate; oral feeding; palatal groove; preterm neonate