Feeding behaviour of infants with cleft lip and palate

Abstract

Aim: To determine whether the feeding behaviour of infants with cleft lip and palate is improved with a type‐P teat, which is widely used in Japan by such infants, compared with a standard teat. The difference in intra‐oral movements between the type‐P teat, modified for the evaluation of feeding behaviour, and an unmodified type‐P teat was also compared using ultrasonography. Methods: In part 1 of the study, 15 infants aged 2 to 3 mo and 7 infants aged 2 wk were evaluated for sucking pressure, expression pressure, frequency and duration of sucking. All the infants had a complete unilateral cleft lip and palate without any other abnormalities. In part 2, an ultrasonographic analysis of intra‐oral movement was done for 5 infants enrolled in part 1 of the study. Results: Sucking pressure did not occur in all infants. It was found that feeding efficiency improved with the type‐P teat compared with the standard teat. The expression pressure with the type‐P teat was significantly higher than that with the standard teat, and the feeding frequency with the type‐P teat was lower than that with the standard teat. Conclusion: A type‐P teat is suitable for infants with cleft lip and palate who have sucking difficulties. However, a type‐P nipple with a squeezable bottle does not fully solve the feeding problems of infants with cleft lip and palate. New artificial teats that allow a higher expression pressure are desirable, and the measurement of the expression pressure may be helpful in the evaluation of artificial nipples.