Effect of premature oral motor intervention (PIOMI) on oral feeding: A systematic review and meta-analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed effectiveness of Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention in improving oral feeding outcomes in preterm infants. A comprehensive search of electronic databases identified randomised controlled trials evaluating Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention’s impact on feeding-related outcomes. Fourteen randomised control trials involving 855 preterm infants were included. Primary outcome was transition time to full oral feeding. Secondary outcomes included hospital stay length, weight at full oral feeding and discharge, milk transfer rate, and gavage feeding duration. Meta-analysis used a fixed-effects model, and evidence certainty was evaluated via Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework. Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention significantly reduced transition time to full oral feeding (MD = −3.91 days; 95% CI:−4.19 to −3.62) and shortened hospital stay. Effects on weight at full oral feeding were moderate, while discharge weight and milk transfer rate showed inconsistent effects. Subgroup analyses demonstrated greater efficacy in infants with higher gestational age and intervention frequency. Sensitivity analyses confirmed robustness of findings with minimal publication bias. Evidence certainty was moderate for transition time to full oral feeding but low to very low for secondary outcomes due to heterogeneity and study limitations. Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention may enhance feeding efficiency and reduce hospitalisation in preterm infants. Further high-quality research is needed to confirm long-term benefits and optimise protocols.