Analgesic Effect of Inhaled Lavender Essential Oil for Clipping of Tongue-ties

Clipping of the tongue-tie is a common procedure that neonatologists perform in our neonatal unit to help establish breastfeeding. It is a painful technique where the measures healthcare providers usually perform to control pain (such as sucking) cannot be done at the time of the clipping because the technique is performed on the tongue. The aim of this study was to prove that inhaled lavender essential oil during the clipping of the tongue-tie can help control pain. Participants were newborns born at our hospital during the study period. They were offered to participate and enrolled in the study if their parents agreed to and signed an informed consent. The use of inhaled lavender essential oil is safe. No side effects have been found with its use. The procedure of the frenotomy did not change for patients who were enrolled in the study. By demonstrating that inhaled lavender essential oil helps reduce pain, its use was included as part of the regular measures to control pain during frenotomies at our neonatal unit (Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain). The study started in August 2020 and ended in April 2021.