Study backs tongue-tie cuts
Parents with babies who have tongue-tie are overwhelmingly in favour of doctors cutting in, a study by two Manawatu¯ physicians has found.
Ninety-seven per cent of parents who took part in the study said they would get their child’s tongue-tie released if they were in the same situation again.
Tongue-tie is a condition where the thin membrane connecting the tongue to the base of the mouth limits movement of the tongue. Cutting the tie has drawn controversy, with some health authorities claiming it has become a fad and some parents sharing stories of the procedure being botched.
The study found one-third of babies unable to breastfeed could do so following a tongue-tie snip.
Over six months, family doctors Sam Illing and Martin Minnee, from the Hokowhitu Medical Centre, carried out the research involving 176 children under 6 months old who had tongue-ties. Minnee, said he performed about 20 tongue-tie releasing procedures a week and had performed thousands in total.
He said it was the most effective procedure he performed, due to the dramatic improvement it could make for a baby. ‘‘Nothing else I do as a GP is as effective.’’
Feeding times also got faster by an average of 20 minutes and breastfeeding became less painful, Illing said.
He and Minnee worked with lactation consultant Jackie Wheeler, who gave parents breastfeeding advice before the tongue-ties were cut.
Illing said there was limited research on parents’ perspectives of the procedure. He hoped the research would help parents make their own decision about going through with it.
Minnee said the risks associated with cutting a tongue-tie were small, especially when carried out by someone with experience. ‘‘The risk is bleeding and a grumpy baby afterwards. There are no major complications.’’
Although the procedure was effective in helping with breastfeeding, Illing said if a
tongue-tie wasn’t affecting a baby’s ability to feed, it should be left alone.
Ezra Unwin’s tongue-tie was cut when he was 5 days old.
Mother Vicki Unwin said it took the pain away from breastfeeding within a day and Ezra was sleeping better as a result of better feeding.
‘‘The latch was noticeably better... Life improved dramatically.’’ Unwin said Ezra ‘‘didn’t make a big scene’’ about having the tie cut and she would recommend it to other mothers with feeding problems.
Ministry of Health senior maternity adviser Kass Jane said it was working on guidelines for the treatment of tongue-tie, after a meeting in April identified the need for consistent information about the risks and benefits of the procedure.