The lingual frenulum is the embryological remains of tissue originating from the early stages of the development of the oral cavity, which tethers the base of the tongue to the floor of the mouth; when it is short and restricts movement, it is called ankyloglossia. Limited tongue mobility in new-borns can make it difficult to suck and latch on. That is why Dr Francisco Guinot and Dr Natalia Carranza, director and student of the Master's Degree in Comprehensive and Hospital Paediatric Dentistry at UIC Barcelona respectively, carried out a study analysing the prevalence of this condition among new-borns at Nostra Senyora de Meritxell Hospital, in the Principality of Andorra, as well as the relationship between this and other malformations and associated diseases.

Entitled “Prevalencia de anquiloglosia en neonatos y relación con datos auxológicos del recién nacido o con otras malformaciones asociadas”, the study highlights the importance of early detection of this malformation to avoid future problems. “Mothers currently want to breastfeed their children as a natural method of feeding and, if there is a difficulty for the child, seek the help of specialists to resolve the problem,” explains Carranza. “One of the factors that can make breastfeeding difficult is a short sublingual frenulum or ankyloglossia, and the number of scientific publications on this subject has significantly increased.”

The article was published in the Revista de Odontopediatría Latinoamericana. “The experience of working on this research project has led to significant personal growth,” says Carranza, “I hope to be able to contribute to launching future studies and improving knowledge in the scientific community.”