Effect of Oral Motor Intervention on Oral Feeding in Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective This review article aimed to explore the effect of oral motor intervention on oral feeding in preterm infants through a meta-analysis. Method Eligible studies were retrieved from four databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) up to July 2020 and screened based on established selection criteria. Thereafter, relevant data were extracted and heterogeneity tests were conducted to select appropriate effect models according to the chi-square test and I 2 statistics. Assessment of risk of bias was performed among the included studies. Finally, a meta-analysis was carried out to evaluate the effect of oral motor intervention in preterm infants according to four clinical indicators: transition time for oral feeding, length of hospital stay, feeding efficiency, and weight gain. Results Eighteen randomized controlled trials with 848 participants were selected to evaluate the effect of oral motor intervention on preterm infants. The meta-analysis results revealed that oral motor intervention could effectively reduce the transition time to full oral feeds and the length of hospital stay as well as increase feeding efficiency and weight gain. Conclusions Oral motor intervention was an effective way to improve oral feeding in preterm infants. It is worthy to be used widely in hospitals to improve the clinical outcomes of preterm infants and reduce the economic burdens of families and society. Future studies should seek to identify detailed intervention processes and intervention durations for clinical application.