Oral Motor Intervention Improved the Oral Feeding in Preterm Infants: Evidence Based on a Meta-Analysis With Trial Sequential Analysis
Medicine
Tian, X., Yi, L. J., et al. (2015).
Medicine, 94(31), e1310.
This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the effects of oral motor interventions on oral feeding in preterm infants.
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Randomized controlled trials
11
Findings demonstrated that oral motor interventions (e.g., non-nutritive sucking, oral stimulation, oral support) were associated with reduced transition time to total oral feeding (MD= -4.03 days, 95% CI= -5.22 to -2.84, p< 0.00001), reduced length of stay (MD= -3.64 days, 95% CI= -5.57 to -1.71, p= 0.0002), increased feeding efficiency (MD= 0.08, 95% CI= 0.36 to 1.27, p= 0.0005) and increased milk intake (MD= 0.14, 95% CI= 0.06 to 0.21, p= 0.0002) when compared to routine care. No significant effect was noted for weight gain between both groups. Further research is indicated due to small sample sizes, a limited number of studies across comparisons, and the potential for selection, performance, detection, and attrition bias.
