Nascent oral phase

Abstract

The oral phase of swallowing is characterized by sucking in the newborn. Over the first years of life the anatomy alters from one adapted perfectly to sucking, to one more similar to adult anatomy, allowing mastication skills to emerge. Changes in anatomic structural relationships confound attempts to precisely quantify this developmental process such that our understanding of the exact developmental timing for mastery of various feeding skills is incomplete. Previous research has focused upon the development of sucking and chewing where some normative data is available. This chapter reviews the available knowledge about the normal emergence and mastery of the oral skills required for feeding. The implication of variation from these expected developmental patterns is also briefly discussed.