ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The clinical significance of lip-tie, or a tethered maxillary frenulum, remains under debate. Clinicians and parents are often perplexed when deciding whether procedures available to relieve a seemingly tight or severe maxillary frenulum are needed. PURPOSE: No previous studies have assessed the consequences of not subjecting a tethered maxillary frenulum in newborns to surgical intervention. This study aimed to contribute the first prospective trial on this topic with a relatively extended followup of these newborn infants. METHODS: This prospective observational questionnaire-based cohort trial was performed in a community setting and aimed to determine whether lip-tie is associated with an increased likelihood of eventual feeding or oral disorders. RESULTS: The convenience sample comprised of 61 consecutively arriving infants with concomitant tethered frenula who were treated at the clinic for various reasons. This cohort was compared with a random sample of 66 age-matched children for a mean follow-up period of 6.42 years. Infants undergoing oropharyngeal procedures were excluded. Awareness of a deviation in oral structures was reported by 18% of the study group versus 0% of the controls. Mothers participating in the study group (24.6%) less frequently recalled painful nipples or discomfort during breastfeeding than those in the control group (47.0%) (P<0.01). There were no intergroup differences in other types of feeding difficulty, dental hygiene, pronunciation, or speech development. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that a tethered labial frenulum is not associated with an increase in breastfeeding disturbances or oral disorders. These data encourage clinicians to question the need to intervene in cases of tethered maxillary frenula.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between calcium levels during the first trimester of pregnancy and preeclampsia. METHODS: The study population included registered births (n = 5233) in a tertiary medical center between 2001 and 2011. A comparison was performed between women with and without hypocalcemia during the first trimester of pregnancy. A second analysis was performed after correcting calcium levels for albumin. Multiple logistic regression models were used to control for confounders. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis graphs were used to describe the relationship between the true-positive rate (sensitivity) and the false-positive rate for different values of calcium during the first half of pregnancy in the prediction of preeclampsia. RESULTS: Of 5233 deliveries, 841 (16%) had hypocalcemia and 4392 (84%) had a normal calcium level. No significant difference were found between the groups regarding mild preeclampsia [odds ratio (OR) = 1.216; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.831-1.779; p = 0.312], severe preeclampsia (OR = 1.618; 95% CI 0.919-2.849; p = 0.092) and any hypertensive disorders (OR = 1.324; 95% CI 0.963-1.821; p = 0.083). CONCLUSIONS: Hypocalcemia during the first trimester of pregnancy is not a risk factor for preeclampsia.
