Diagnostic relevance of primitive reflexes in high-risk newborns: A systematic review

Abstract

The study was undertaken to perform a systematic review to investigate the diagnostic relevance of primitive reflexes (PR) such as Moro, Rooting, Sucking, Palmar, and Plantar/Babinski reflexes in high-risk newborns. A systematic literature search was carried out using different search engines between the years 1980 and 2018. There were 48 articles considered out of 61 articles, based on screening of the title and abstract. Finally, among 48 articles, a total of 8 articles were considered for the detailed review based on the inclusion criteria. The results of the selected articles on the different PRs have been discussed in the present study. Though most studies have evaluated the moro and the plantar reflex, every reflex considered in the study has been found to be affected in high-risk newborns and consequently, it is difficult to undermine the significance of any of these. All the studies reviewed highlighted the importance of assessing these reflexes in high-risk newborns and indicated that an abnormal reflex is an indication of a neurological abnormality. These findings indicate that the assessment of PRs should be included in the newborn screening protocol because they are not time consuming and can be performed easily with minimum or no tools. Future studies that are aimed at investigating the efficacy of these PRs in identifying children with developmental disabilities are essential.