Breastfeeding your baby is not always easy so parents are advised to perform surgery in the mouth of infants to supposedly facilitate breastfeeding. It is called the frenotomy lingual. The operation raises questions for Alexandra, mother of 25-day-old Ada. “It’s the first time I’ve heard of it. You have to be careful and don’t hesitate to consult and consult again to get a second opinion before doing anything.“, says the mother.
The operation involves cutting the frenulum of the tongue with scissors or laser to restore the range of motion of the tongue. The frenotomy has always been indicated for babies with a birth defect. Health professionals are warning about these surging operations. In the United States, they multiplied by five between 2003 and 2012, in Australia an increase of 420% between 2006 and 2016. Pediatricians denounce this mainly lucrative practice.
Here are the scientific studies supporting our report:
1. Australian Dentist Association 2020. Ankyloglossia-andOral-Frena-Consensus-Statement. First edition: Ankyloglossia-and-Oral-Frena-Consensus-Statement_J.aspx (ada.org.au) 2. Messner AH, Walsh J, Rosenfeld RM, Schwartz SR, Ishman SL, Baldassari C, Brietzke SE, Darrow DH, Goldstein N, Levi J, Meyer AK, Parikh S, Simons JP, Wohl DL, Lambie E, Satterfield L. Clinical Consensus Statement: Ankyloglossia in Children. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020 May;162(5):597-611. doi: 10.1177/0194599820915457. Epub 2020 Apr 14. PMID: 32283998. 3. LeFort Y, Evans A, Livingstone V, Douglas P, Dahlquist N, Donnelly B, Leeper K, Harley E, Lappin S. Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Position Statement on Ankyloglossia in Breastfeeding Dyads. Breastfeed Med. 2021 Apr;16(4):278-281. doi: 10.1089/bfm.2021.29179.ylf. PMID: 33852342. 4. O’Shea JE, Foster JP, O’Donnell CP, Breathnach D, Jacobs SE, Todd DA, Davis PG. Frenotomy for tongue-tie in newborn infants. Cochrane Database System Rev. 2017 Mar 11;3(3):CD011065. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011065.pub2. PMID: 28284020; PMCID: PMC6464654 5. AFPA press release dated 01/17/2022. https://afpa.org/2022/01/17/section-de-freins-delangue-chez-les-nourrissons-et-les-enfants-alerte-sur-des-pratiques-abusives/. Signatories of the AFPA Press Release of 01/17/2022: Association CIANE, Association des Lactariums de France (ADLF), French Association of Pediatric ENT (AFOP), French Association of Ambulatory Pediatrics (AFPA), Association IPA – Information For Breastfeeding, Reference Center for Rare Diseases “Pierre Robin’s Sd and congenital sucking-swallowing disorders” (SPRATON), French College of Speech Therapy, National College of Child Care Nurses (IPDE), National College Midwives (CNSF), National Council of Pediatrics, National Professional Council of Stomatology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nutrition Committee of the French Society of Pediatrics, French Coordination for Breastfeeding, IUD Human Lactation and Breastfeeding (DULHAM), DU Breastfeeding, Marseille, National Federation of Speech Therapists, General, Social and Environmental Pediatrics Group (GPGse: SFP group), Federation of French Perinatal Networks caise, French Society of Oral Surgery, French Society of Perinatal Medicine, French Society of Neonatology, French Society of Pediatric Odontology (SFOP), French Society of Pediatrics (SFP), French Society of Stomatology, Maxillofacial Surgery