Investigating the Prevalence of Ankyloglossia in 6-11 Year Students in Yazd

Ankyloglossia is a developmental anomaly of tongue which causes a deficiency in tongue mobility. This anomaly can create speech problems, periodontal diseases and orthodontic disorders. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of ankyloglossia in 6-11 year students in Yazd.

In this desciriptive cross-sectional study conducted in 2009, 1199 male and female students were selected via cluster sampling who aged 6-11 years and studied in primary schools of Yazd. Ankyloglossia diagnosis was based on presence of short and thick lingual frenum as well as deficiency in lingual mobility . The study data were analyzed via SPSS statistical software (ver.15) applying Chi-square test.

The total prevalence of ankyloglossia among 1199 students (598 boys and 601 girls) was reported 2.5%, which was significantly higher within the boys than girls (P-value= 0.026).

The study results revealed that prevalence of ankyloglossia in students of 6-11 years in Yazd was 2.5% and as a matter of fact, it was more prevalent within boys than girls.