Aim:To compare mandibular movements in infants between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding. Methods:A total of 24 full-term infants, aged 3-4 days, with birth weight ≥2500g and no medical problems were recruited. The infants were divided into two groups by their mother’s choice. Group A included 10 infants who were exclusively breastfed after birth, while group B included 14 infants who were bottle-fed first and then were additionally breastfed at each feeding after birth. The mandibular movements including the sucking cycle, the time intervals of jaw opening and closing, the mandibular displacement, the acceleration of mandibular movements, and the maximum angle at jaw opening were measured at each feeding to draw sucking waveforms using a motion analysis software. Unpaired student T-test was performed to compare mandibular movements between the infants in group A during breastfeeding and those in group B during bottle-feeding. Results:The acceleration of mandibular movements, the mandibular displacement, and the maximum angle at jaw opening were significantly greater during breastfeeding than during bottle-feeding(p<0.001 for all). The amplitudes of the waveforms were larger during breastfeeding than during bottle-feeding. Conclusion:The mandibular movement was significantly greater during breastfeeding than during bottle-feeding. Breastfeeding might more require kinetic energy in mandible to obtain milk than bottle-feeding.
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