Bleeding and respiratory problems are among the most common complications seen in babies following a frenotomy, with one in five experiencing a delayed diagnosis owing to the procedure, a study shows.

The New Zealand researchers say their two-year study is the first to prospectively report complications in babies undergoing ankyloglossia procedures.

They found an overall incidence rate of 13.9 complications per 100,000 infants with tongue-tie, seen by hospital-based paediatricians around the country.

This would equate to an estimated moderate to severe complication rate of around 1%, according to the study by paediatrician Associate Professor Ben Wheeler and researchers from the New Zealand Paediatric Surveillance Unit.