Quantitative analysis of frenectomies performed in the context of the SUS after mandatory tongue test

Abstract

This study sought to investigate and to know the frequency and the distribution of frenotomies and frenectomies performed in the Unified Health System  (SUS) after the legal provisions that instituted the tong test, and to understand which professionals are  performing the surgical procedure. This is an  analytical, descriptive, retrospective study, with  secondary data, available in the DATASUS Information  System. It was observed that a considerable increase  in the number of procedures, but with fluctuations in  the following years. The results  showed that there was a substantial increase in the  number of surgical procedures in two moments, in  2014 and in 2017, possibly as a result of the  publication of Ordinance nº 13.002/2014 and  Technical Note (NT) No. 09/2016. NT No. 35/2018  shifted diagnosis and treatment to medium  complexity, possibly resulting in queues, especially in  the case of surgeries that could be performed in  primary care. Although there is no unanimity  regarding the correlation between ankyloglossia and  weaning, there seems to be no monitoring to avoid  unnecessary surgeries, since milking may not be  affected and follow-up is carried out to confirm or not  this need.