Spontaneous Orofacial Movements at Writhing and Fidgety General Movements Age in Preterm and Full-Term Infants

Background: As general spontaneous movements at the writhing and fidgety ages have been important for the early identification of neurodevelopmental impairment of both full-term and preterm infants, the knowledge of the spontaneous orofacial movements at these ages also seems to be important for the diagnosis of oral function, particularly in preterm infants. Therefore, we decided to first classify preterm and full-term infants according to general movements ages, and then to record, describe, compare, and discuss their spontaneous orofacial movements. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 51 preterm infants (born between 28 and 36 weeks) and 43 full-term infants who were classified at the writhing and fidgety ages of Prechtl’s method of general movements assessment. Their spontaneous orofacial movements were recorded on video, and The Observer XT software (Noldus) was used to record the quantitative values of the movements. Results: Poor repertoires of writhing movements were more frequent in the preterm infants (90.9%) compared to full-term ones (57.9%). Positive fidgety movements were observed in 100% of both preterm and full-term infants. Oral movements were similar for both preterm and full-term infants, regardless of their movement stage. Conclusion: All spontaneous orofacial movements were present both in preterm and full-term infants, albeit with higher frequency, intensity, and variability at fidgety age.