A Preliminary Study on the Determining Indicatory Factors for Frenulotomy: Maximum Lingual Length-Protrusion of 3-6 Year Old Normal Children with Boley Gauge (Digimatic Caliper$Caliper^{(R)}$)

설소대 절단술의 결정 요인에 관한 기초 연구: Boley gauge를 이용한 3$\sim$6세 정상 아동의 혀의 최대 신장 길이 계측

Ankyloglossia (tongue-tie) limits movement of the tongue connected with feeding and has adverse impacts on both dental health and speech. For the patients with ankyloglossia, surgical intervention is recommended as primary treatment. This study suggests the efficient tool in determining indicatory factors for frenulotomy by quantifying Maximum Lingual Length-Protrusion (MLL-P) with boley gauge, and as a preliminary study, to show the measurement results with normal children using the tool. The subjects were 61 normal children, and the distance (MLL-P) between mandibular central incisor and tongue tip during tongue protrusion was measured with a boley gauge (Digimatic $Caliper^{(R)}$). The results of this study can be summarized as follows: (1) The mean value of MLL-P (N=61 normal children) was 21.44 mm, (2) The mean value of MLL-P was 20.69 mm in males (N=33) and 21.91 mm in females (N=28). There was no statistically significant difference between males and females, (3) The mean value of MLL-P was 19.34 mm, 21.19 mm, 22.33 mm, 22.61 mm for measurement of 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-year-old children, respectively, and (4) The mean value of MLL-P showed statistically significant difference between 3- and 5-year-old children, between 3- and 6-year old children.