Effects of an Oral Stimulation Program on Feeding Outcomes in Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Aims: To review the literature on the effects of unimodal sensorimotor stimulation protocols on feeding outcomes in very preterm and moderate to late preterm infants (PIs).

Methods: Five databases were searched up to April 2022. Studies comparing unimodal sensorimotor stimulation protocols based on the combination of manual oral stimulation with NNS against usual care in PIs, on-time transition to full oral feeding (FOF), feeding efficacy, length of hospital stay, and/or body weight gain.

Results: Eleven studies were included. Compared to usual care, unimodal sensorimotor stimulation protocols based on manual oral stimulation combined with NNS demonstrated to be more effective in decreasing time transition to FOF (standardized mean difference [95%CI] - 1.08 [-1.74, -0.41]), improving feeding efficacy (2.15 [1.18, 3.13]) and shortening length of hospital stay (-0.35 [-0.68, -0.03]). However, the proposed intervention was not effective in improving weight gain (0.27 [-0.40, 0.95]). There were no significant differences according to gestational age (p > .05).

Conclusions: Based on fair-to-high quality evidence, unimodal sensorimotor stimulation protocols combined with NNS reduce time transition to FOF, improve feeding efficacy, and shorten the length of hospital stay; yet the proposed intervention yielded no significant effects on body weight gain when compared to usual care in PIs.