France — On April 26, the French Academy of Medicine published an official statement calling for "more cautiousness for lingual frenotomy in newborns and infants." In January, several academic societies had already expressed concern about the abnormal increase, in France and worldwide, in lingual frenulum surgeries in children following their discharge from maternity clinics. André Chays, MD, member of the French National Academy of Medicine, and Michel Le Gall, MD, member of the French Federation of Orthodontics, have shed light on the practice for Medscape Medical News.
Dramatic and Unquantified Increases
"A lingual frenulum section (frenotomy) or excision (frenectomy) in newborns or infants involves surgically cutting (with scissors or a laser) a short and/or thick lingual frenulum to restore range of motion of the mobile tongue, in particular its protraction. Until recently, this rare surgical procedure has been indicated for ankyloglossia with a significant effect on function," the Academy of Medicine explained in an official statement published on April 26
