Planned study - Frenectomy is a procedure that involves making a small cut in the membrane under the tongue when it is too short and may cause difficulties in sucking, swallowing or speaking.
The increasing frequency of this operation in infants is puzzling and somewhat worrying the international scientific community. Belgium does not seem to be escaping this trend: according to RIZIV/INAMI figures, the use of frenectomy billing codes has seen an average annual increase of 2.72% between 2013 and 2023, reaching a total of 18,893 in 2023, all ages combined.
The aim of this good practice guide is to define the criteria justifying a frenectomy in infants (diagnosis, functional impact) and the conditions (type of frenectomy, multidisciplinary advice, etc.) that need to be met to reduce side effects (eating disorders, oral disorders, infections, parental anxiety), avoid unjustified expenses (500 euros payable by parents for a laser frenectomy) and control the regional variation currently observed in the use of frenectomies in Belgium.
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