Defining the anatomy of the neonatal lingual frenulum

dc.contributor.authorMills, Nikki
dc.contributor.authorKeough, Natalie
dc.contributor.authorGeddes, Donna T.
dc.contributor.authorPransky, Seth M.
dc.contributor.authorMirjalili, S. Ali
dc.date.accessioned2019-09-17T13:33:00Z
dc.date.available2019-09-17T13:33:00Z
dc.date.issued2019-09
dc.description.abstractThe lingual frenulum is recognized as having the potential to limit tongue mobility, which may lead to difficulties with breastfeeding in some infants. There is extensive variation between individuals in the appearance of the lingual frenulum but an ambiguous relationship between frenulum appearance and functional limitation. An increasing number of infants are being diagnosed with ankyloglossia, with growing uncertainty regarding what can be considered “normal” lingual frenulum anatomy. In this study, microdissection of four fresh tissue premature infant cadavers shows that the lingual frenulum is a dynamic, layered structure formed by oral mucosa and the underlying floor of mouth fascia, which is mobilized into a midline fold with tongue elevation and/or retraction. Genioglossus is suspended from the floor of mouth fascia, and in some individuals can be drawn up into the fold of the frenulum. Branches of the lingual nerve are located superficially on the ventral surface of the tongue, immediately beneath the fascia, making them vulnerable to injury during frenotomy procedures. This research challenges the longstanding belief that the lingual frenulum is a midline structure formed by a submucosal “band” or “string” and confirms that the neonatal lingual frenulum structure replicates that recently described in the adult. This article provides an anatomical construct for understanding and describing variability in lingual frenulum morphology and lays the foundation for future research to assess the impact of specific anatomic variants of lingual frenulum morphology on tongue mobility.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentAnatomyen_ZA
dc.description.librarianhj2019en_ZA
dc.description.urihttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10982353en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationMills, N., Keough, N., Geddes, D.T. et al. 2019, 'Defining the anatomy of the neonatal lingual frenulum', Clinical Anatomy, vol. 32, no. 6, pp. 824-835.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0897-3806 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1098-2353 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1002/ca.23410
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/71386
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherWileyen_ZA
dc.rights© 2019 The Authors. Clinical Anatomy published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Clinical Anatomists. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.en_ZA
dc.subjectAnkyloglossiaen_ZA
dc.subjectTongue tieen_ZA
dc.subjectLingual frenulumen_ZA
dc.subjectFloor of mouthen_ZA
dc.subjectFasciaen_ZA
dc.subjectNeonateen_ZA
dc.subjectFrenotomyen_ZA
dc.subjectNeonatalen_ZA
dc.subjectSurgeryen_ZA
dc.subject.otherHealth sciences articles SDG-03
dc.subject.otherSDG-03: Good health and well-being
dc.titleDefining the anatomy of the neonatal lingual frenulumen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA

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