Frenotomia lingual em bebês diagnosticados com anquiloglossia pelo Teste da Linguinha: série de casos clínicos

Abstract

Objective: to report a series of clinical cases of lingual frenectomy in babies diagnosed with ankyloglossia through the tongue test. Case Reports: five babies aged 0 to 2 years were diagnosed with moderate to severe ankyloglossia in Basic Health Units and in Santa Casa de Misericórdia do Sobral, Ceará, Brazil. The mothers of the children reported difficulties in breastfeeding and gagging. The patients were submitted to surgical procedures of lingual frenectomy, which were performed at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Campus Sobral, in the Group of Studies in Pediatric Dentistry of the undergraduate dental course. The surgeries were performed with conscious patients under protective stabilization. Only topical anesthesia was administered in patients younger than 1 year and infiltrative anesthesia was used for those older than 1 year. Thereafter, a small cut was performed on the median portion of the lingual frenulum and, if necessary, divulsion of the adjacent tissues was performed. At the end, the surgical site was cleaned and the effective release of the tongue was confirmed visually. Finally, the children received medical certification and the mothers received postoperative recommendations. In addition, the children were referred to visits with a speech therapist and three follow-up appointments were scheduled. Final considerations: lingual frenectomy proved to be a conservative, effective, and safe surgical technique. The babies presented excellent postoperative results and they are under multi-professional follow-up.