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heAlth Tuesday 30 July 2024
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Infants’ tongue-tie may be overdiagnosed and needlessly HEALTH

treated, American Academy of Pediatrics says DOCTOR ON DUTY

Oranjestad
cians and surgeons and oth-
er medical professionals work Hospital 7:00 pm / 10:00pm
with parents to evaluate pos- Tel. 527 4000
sible reasons for breastfeed- San Nicolas
ing challenges and make the Imsan 24 hours
best treatment decision. Tel.524 8833
The American Academy of Women in Difficulties
Pediatrics, which has 67,000 PHARMACY ON DUTY
members who specialize in
treating children, started Oranjestad:
Sta. Cruz : Tel.585 8028
working on the report in 2015 San Nicolas:
after some pediatricians San Nicolas:Tel. 584 5712
began to notice that an in-
creasing number of patients OTHER
were going to dentists to get Dental Clinic 587 9850
treatment for tongue-tie, Blood Bank Aruba 587 0002
Thomas said. Pediatricians Urgent Care 586 0448
were finding out after the Walk-In Doctor’s Clinic
surgeries. q +297 588 0539
Women in Difficulties
EMERGENCY

This combination of photos provided by Dr. Maya Bunik in July 2024, shows a baby with FOR SALE Police 100
Oranjestad
527 3140
ankyloglossia where the tongue does not extend beyond the gums, left, and a baby with an Matadera 3N unit-11 aRuBa Noord 527 3200
indentation at the tip of a the tongue which may be a sign of ankyloglossia. 2 storey condo Sta. Cruz 527 2900
Associated Press 3 bedrooms, 3 baths San Nicolas 584 5000
By MIKE STOBBE is born with a tight or short ria for this condition and no living / dinning room Police Tipline 11141
Ambulancia
911
AP Medical Writer band of tissue that tethers consensus on how to treat it. furnished, renovated Fire Dept. 115
NEW YORK (AP) — Tongue- the bottom of the tongue’s One common approach is painted. Pool Red Cross 582 2219
tie a condition in infants that tip to the floor of the mouth. to cut the tissue with scissors, $425,000 usd furnished
can affect breastfeeding The condition can make it but dentists increasingly are $395,000 usd w/appliances TAXI SERVICES
— may be overdiagnosed hard for the infant to ex- using lasers to vaporize the suzanne@c21apt.com Taxi Tas 587 5900
in the U.S. and too often tend and lift their tongue to tissue some charging $800 Whatsapp: 1-613-291-2121 Prof. Taxi 588 0035
587 2300
Taxi D.T.S.
treated with unnecessary grasp a nipple and draw milk or more. _______________________________218084 Taxi Serv. Aruba 583 3232

surgery, a prominent doc- which in turn can be painful But the procedures can A1 Taxi Serv. 280 2828
tors’ group said Monday. for the mother. cause pain and sore mouths, Women in Difficulties
The American Academy of Doctors say it’s critical to get potentially deterring babies TRAVEL INFO
Pediatrics is the latest, and breastfeeding on track in the from trying to breastfeed,
largest, medical society to first three to four weeks, and Bunik said. Aruba Airport 524 2424
sound an alarm about the surveys indicate most par- “The practice (of treating American Airlines 582 2700
increasing use of scissors or ents want to breastfeed, so tongue-tie) got to be very Avianca 588 0059
Jet Blue
588 2244
lasers to cut away some in- it’s natural that they want a common without a lot of Surinam 582 7896
Women in Difficulties
fants’ tongue tissue when quick solution to a problem, good data,” said Wiscon- AID FOUNDATIONS
breastfeeding is difficult. Bunik said. sin pediatrician Dr. Jennifer
“It’s almost an epidemic,” Ankyloglossia diagnoses Thomas, who also co-au- Aruba Food Bank
said Dr. Maya Bunik, a Col- have been increasing thored the report. Tel. 588 0002
orado-based co-author of worldwide, though there is The report also recommends FAVI- Visually Impaired
Tel. 582 5051
the report. no uniform diagnostic crite- lactation experts, pediatri- Alcoholics Anonymous
Experts say there isn’t a good Tel. 736 2952
count of how many infants Narcotics Anonymous
each year are being treated Tel. 583 8989
for tongue-tie with surgery, Fundacion Contra Violencia
Relacional Tel. 583 5400
though Bunik believes the Centre for Diabetes
annual tally may exceed Tel. 524 8888
100,000. Research suggests Child Abuse Prevention
many of those treatments Tel. 582 4433
are not necessary, she Quota Club Tel. 525 2672
added. Women in Difficulties
The academy’s new report General Info
encourages pediatricians Phone Directory Tel. 118
and other medical profes-
sionals to consider nonsur-
gical options to address
breastfeeding problems.
The report cites a study that
suggests less than half of the
kids with the characteristics
of tongue-tie actually have
difficulty breastfeeding.
Ankyloglossia, or “tongue-
tie,” occurs when an infant
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