PURPOSE: to compare the classification and conduct of the professionals of speech language pathology, dentistry and otolaryngology fields regarding the lingual frenulum. METHODS: 90 participants took part in this research, divided into 3 groups: 30 speech language pathologists, 30 dentists and 30 otolaryngologists who answered two protocols, with 4 images of the lingual frenulum. The lingual frenulum was classified as normal or altered. When the option was "altered", the indicated conduct was: surgery, speech therapy or surgery and speech therapy. The participants also classified the frenulum according to the type of insertion: normal, with anterior insertion, short or short with anterior insertion. RESULTS: in relation to the characterization of the lingual frenulum as normal or altered, we found that most professionals had similar views, characterizing the normal frenulum as normal, and the anterior, the short one and short with anterior insertion as altered. In relation to the conduct of the altered lingual frenulum, the majority of dentists and otolaryngologists agreed about the surgical conduct for all altered frenulum. For the majority of speech language pathologists, the conduct for anterior lingual frenulum was speech therapy, and for the short lingual frenulum and short with anterior insertion, they indicated surgery followed by speech therapy. For the classification according to the type of insertion, the opinion of the majority of the three professional categories was the same. CONCLUSION: the findings showed agreement in characterization and classification of the lingual frenulum by professionals of the three areas. There was disagreement in relation to the conduct: surgery and speech therapy or only surgery for short frenulum and short with anterior insertion.
Tongue; Lingual Frenulum; Tongue Diseases; Oral Surgical Procedures; Speech Disorders; Speech Therapy
