​Some of the current research projects at Agave on various aspects of tongue tie include:

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• Genetics of tongue ties. A large number of patients with tongue tie have other family members with diagnosed or suspected tongue ties. We are studying the inheritance patterns of tongue tie and have identified both autosomal dominant and recessive inheritance patterns. We believe that multiple genes may be involved in development of non-syndromic tongue ties. We plan on enrolling such families for further gene mapping and identification studies.

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• Analytical studies on improvement of maternal and infant symptoms after frenectomy. A statistical modelling and analysis study in pediatric patients of different age groups has recently been performed to identify clinical correlates of symptomatic improvement in collaboration with ASU. A recent review and meta-analysis found that a small body of evidence suggests that frenotomy may be associated with improvements in breastfeeding as reported by mothers, and potentially in nipple pain, but with small short-term studies, inconsistently conducted, strength of evidence was generally low to insufficient. Agave is conducting studies to confirm these findings in one of the largest collection of tongue tie patients systematically followed at a single practice, so as to add to the strength of evidence.

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• Development of intra-oral vacuum pressure monitoring device. A novel device is being developed in collaboration with LightScalpel and PADT Inc, that can be used to quantitatively assess dysfunctional breastfeeding associated with tongue ties and follow its improvement after the surgery.

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The research team at Agave is headed by Dr Rajeev Agarwal. We would be happy to discuss our current and past projects with you - please feel free to contact us.