Association between ankyloglossia according to the Coryllos Classification and its effects on breastfeeding
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29076/issn.2602-8360vol10iss18.2026pp41-46pKeywords:
complementary feeding, ankyloglossia, breastfeeding, neonate, infant nutritionAbstract
This observational, retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted at Hospital General Guasmo Sur (Guayaquil, Ecuador) between September 2024 and February 2025, with the aim of establishing the relationship between breastfeeding difficulties and types of ankyloglossia according to the Coryllos scale. A total of 202 neonates with a gestational age of ≥ 28 weeks were enrolled; maternal and neonatal variables were collected, and multivariate logistic regression was used for statistical analysis. Mean neonatal weight was 3,142 ± 612 g and mean age was 12.3 ± 4.6 days. The most frequent breastfeeding difficulties were maternal pain (41.5%), poor latch (36.1%), and ineffective sucking (29.7%). A statistically significant association was found between type II ankyloglossia and early formula introduction (OR = 2.1; 95% CI: 1.1–4.0; p = 0.0187), indicating a negative impact of this condition on exclusive breastfeeding. These findings support the need to implement systematic neonatal screening and functional assessment to enable timely detection and management of ankyloglossia in the neonatal period.
Downloads
References
1. Victora CG, Bahl R, Barros AJD, França GVA, Horton S, Krasevec J, et al. Breastfeeding in the 21st century: epidemiology, mechanisms, and lifelong effect. Lancet. 2016;387(10017):475-490. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01024-7
2. Organización Mundial de la Salud. Lactancia materna exclusiva durante los primeros seis meses [Internet]. Ginebra: OMS; 2021. Disponible en: https://www.who.int/es/news/item/15-01-2021-exclusive-breastfeeding-for-optimal-growth-development-and-health-of-infants
3. Rollins NC, Lutter CK, Bhandari N, Hajeebhoy N, Horton S, Martines JC, et al. Why invest, and what it will take to improve breastfeeding practices? Lancet. 2016;387(10017):491-504. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01044-2
4. Dewey KG. Nutrition, growth, and complementary feeding of the breastfed infant. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2001;48(1):87-104. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-3955(05)70287-X
5. Vitta BS, Benjamin M, Pries AM, Champeny M, Zehner E, Huffman SL. Infant and young child feeding practices among children under 2 years of age and maternal exposure to infant and young child feeding messages and promotions in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Matern Child Nutr. 2016;12(Suppl 2):77-90. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.12292
6. Fewtrell M, Bronsky J, Campoy C, Domellöf M, Embleton N, Fidler Mis N, et al. Complementary feeding: a position paper by the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) Committee on Nutrition. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2017;64(1):119-132. doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/MPG.0000000000001454
7. Freire WB, Ramírez MJ, Belmont P, Mendieta MJ, Silva MK, Romero N, et al. Resumen ejecutivo: Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición del Ecuador, ENSANUT 2018. Quito: Ministerio de Salud Pública del Ecuador; 2019.
8. Rodríguez-Oliveros G, Méndez-Gómez Humarán I, Martínez-Ramos D, Rivera-Pasquel M, Hernández-Cordero S. Feeding practices in infants and young children in Latin America and the Caribbean: a review of national surveys. Nutrients. 2021;13(4):1200. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041200
9. Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Levy RB, Moubarac JC, Louzada MLC, Rauber F, et al. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutr. 2019;22(5):936-941. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980018003762
10. Keats EC, Das JK, Salam RA, Lassi ZS, Imdad A, Black RE, et al. Effective interventions to address maternal and child malnutrition: an update of the evidence. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2021;5(5):367-384. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(20)30274-1
11. Briend A, Khara T, Dolan C. Wasting and stunting — similarities and differences: policy and programmatic implications. Food Nutr Bull. 2015;36(1 Suppl):S15-S23. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/15648265150361S103
12. Coryllos E, Genna CW, Salloum AC. Congenital tongue-tie and its impact on breastfeeding. En: AAP Section on Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding: Best for Baby and Mother [boletín]. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics; Summer 2004. p. 1-6.
13. Narsat N, Pierrot S, Guelfucci B, Labbe A. Lingual frenulum and breastfeeding difficulties: prospective study on 100 mother-child pairs. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2021;149:110857. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2021.110857
14. Brzęcka A, Szczepańska M, Biegańska-Banaś J. The impact of ankyloglossia on breastfeeding: a systematic review. Nutrients. 2022;14(23):5008. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14235008
15. Tomara M, Chatzistavrou E, Andreadis D, Pitsis A. Breastfeeding difficulties in infants with tongue-tie. Clin Lact. 2020;11(2):52-58. doi: https://doi.org/10.1891/CL-2019-0014
16. Messner AH, Lalakea ML, Aby J, Macmahon J, Bair E. Ankyloglossia: incidence and associated feeding difficulties. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2000;126(1):36-39. doi: https://doi.org/10.1001/archotol.126.1.36
17. Cordray S. Breastfeeding difficulties associated with ankyloglossia: a review. J Hum Lact. 2019;35(4):765-772. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0890334419861270
18. Cote Mantilla PA, Llanos-Redondo A, Zambrano Medina N. Relationship between lingual tab, suction and breastfeeding in newborns in a hospital in Pamplona (Colombia). Salud Uninorte. 2025;41(2):608-624. doi:10.14482/sun.41.02.001.510
19. Rossato NE. Frenillo lingual, anquiloglosia y lactancia materna. Arch Argent Pediatr. 2025;123(1):e202410507. doi: https://doi.org/10.5546/aap.2024-10507
20. Walsh J, Links A, Boss E, Tunkel D. Ankyloglossia and lingual frenotomy: national trends in inpatient diagnosis and management in the United States, 1997-2012. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017;156(4):735-740. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599817690135
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 FACSALUD-UNEMI

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Todos los artículos de la Revista FACSalud UNEMI son difundidos bajo licencia internacional Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-SinObrasDerivadas 4.0.
Los autores mantienen los derechos de autor, y, por lo tanto, son libres de compartir, copiar, distribuir, ejecutar y comunicar públicamente la obra bajo las condiciones siguientes: Reconocer los créditos de la obra especificada por el autor e indicar si se realizaron cambios (puede hacerlo de cualquier forma razonable, pero no de una manera que sugiera que el autor respalda el uso que hace de su obra. No utilizar la obra para fines comerciales. En caso de remezcla, transformación o desarrollo, no puede distribuirse el material modificado.