Ankyloglossia (Tongue tie)
P Parida
Keywords
ankyloglossia, lingual frenum, tongue-tie
Citation
P Parida. Ankyloglossia (Tongue tie). The Internet Journal of Otorhinolaryngology. 2008 Volume 8 Number 2.
Abstract
Ankyloglossia, or tongue-tie, is the result of a short, tight, lingual frenulum causing tethering of the tongue tip. Although most cases resolve or are asymptomatic, some patients develop articulation problems and other concerns related to poor tongue-tip mobility. In this article, I report a 12 year old boy with tongue tie who underwent tongue tie release under local anesthesia without any complication and described various criteria to define the types of ankyloglossia and indications for surgery.
Introduction
Ankyloglossia is an uncommon congenital oral anomaly that can cause difficulty with breast-feeding, speech articulation, and mechanical tasks such as licking the lips and kissing 1 . For many years the subject of ankyloglossia has been controversial, with practitioners of many specialties having widely different views regarding its significance and management. In many children, ankyloglossia is asymptomatic; the condition may resolve spontaneously, or affected children may learn to compensate adequately for their decreased lingual mobility. Some children, however, benefit from surgical intervention (frenotomy or frenuloplasty) for their tongue-tie. Parents should be educated about the possible long-term effects of tongue-tie, so that they may make an informed choice regarding possible therapy 1,2 .
Case report
A 12 year old boy presented to me with history of inability to protrude the tongue fully and difficulty in speech since birth. On local examination revealed presence of tongue tie (Fig-1) and the child was able to protrude his tongue up to the lower incisors. The other ENT and general physical examination was normal. The child underwent tongue tie release under local anesthesia by using a curved scissor and the raw area was left as such as it was very small. The post-operative period was uneventful. The routine follow up at 3 weeks showed a normal tongue protrusion and normal speech.
Discussion
Ankyloglossia (tongue-tie) limits the range of motion of the tongue, impairing its ability to fulfill its functions like speech, the position of teeth, swallowing, nursing, and certain social activities 1,2,3 . A lingual frenum attachment limits the tongue's range of motion. The term
Correspondence to
Dr. Pradipta Kumar Parida Assistant Professor Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head-Neck Surgery Sri Guru Ram Rai Institute of medical and health sciences Patel Nagar, Dehradun, India Phone no. +91-9759471587 e-mail-drpradipta04@gmail.com Fax no.0135-2720151.