Referrals for frenotomy/frenectomy between 2017-2022 to public dental services in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil

In this study, referrals for lingual frenotomy/frenectomy (F/F) were evaluated in children younger than 7 years the public dental services of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, from 2017 to 2022. In this longitudinal observational retrospective study, the Hygiaweb System (Power BI) platform to access electronic medical records, and the following variables were collected: incidence of F/F, reports of symptoms associated with ankyloglossia, duration of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), professional categories requesting the referral, and multiprofessional evaluation. Descriptive analyses, associations between variables, comparisons between groups and incidence ratios were performed. The significance level was set at 5%. During the study period, 242 procedures were performed, the majority of them in children younger than 1 year, with an increasing trend towards F/F (p = 0.028, S = 11). The estimated incidence was 40.6 F/F per 10,000 inhabitants. Among all children who underwent F/F, the majority were breastfed for up to 1 month (101, 41.7%), followed by 4 to 5 months (56, 23.1%). There was no significant association between exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and lingual frenectomy before 6 months of age (p = 0.444). Confirmation of the need for lingual frenectomy was associated with multidisciplinary assessment at referral (p < 0.001; Cramér's V = 0.268). It can be concluded that organization of the care process and the breastfeeding support movement may have had a positive influence on the management of cases and the upward trend towards F/F procedures. Multiprofessional assessment seemed to have an impact on the accuracy of referrals for cases requiring surgical intervention.