Tongue-Tie: A Journey from Past to Future

The learner will be able to:

• Identify the origins of the tongue-tie controversy.
• List three modern tongue-tie controversies.
• Identify four impacts of tongue-tie requiring more research.
• Discover the reasons why the tongue-tie controversy continues.

• The history of the tongue-tie controversy.
• Modern areas of agreement and disagreement.
• The role that the posterior tie, lip tie, and buccal tie have played in the controversy.
• The backlash generated by the lack of evidence used to justify revisions on babies.
• Lack of evidence to support current clinical practices.
• Future areas of research needed.

Since the time of Aristotle, tongue-tie has been known to create functional oral problems. Dr. Hazelbaker takes the learner through a journey from Aristotle’s time to the present, identifying when the controversy around tongue-tie treatment began. New controversies developed with the introduction of the posterior tie, lip tie, and buccal tie generating an industry around the condition and a backlash. Clinical practice has now exceeded the evidence and this module explores how and why this has happened. Dr. Hazelbaker covers the present issues of agreement and controversy and suggests strategies for the future tongue-tie journey.

The content in this module is re-evaluated every three years in accordance with ANCC criteria. This content will be re-evaluated and updated on or before April 20, 2023.