Preterm newborn readiness for oral feeding: systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE To identify and systematize the main studies on the transition from enteral to oral feeding in preterm infants. RESEARCH STRATEGY Articles that describe the transition from oral to enteral feeding in preterm infants were located in MEDLINE, LILACS, and SciELO databases. SELECTION CRITERIA Original studies, with available abstract, published in the last 10 years were included. DATA ANALYSIS Analysis of the methodology and the main results of the studies, and meta-analysis of the effects of sensory-motor-oral stimulation at the time of transition to full oral feeding and duration of hospitalization were conducted. RESULTS Twenty-nine national and international publications were considered. Most studies were clinical trials (44.8%) and did not use rating scales to start the transition process (82.7%). In the meta-analysis, positive effect of stimulation of the sensory-motor-oral system was observed with respect to the transition time to oral diet (p=0.0000), but not in relation to the length of hospital stay (p=0.09). However, heterogeneity between studies was found both in the analysis of the transition time to full oral feeding (I2=93.98) and in the length of hospital stay (I2=82.30). CONCLUSION The transition to oral feeding is an important moment, and various physical and clinical characteristics of preterm infants have been used to describe this process. Despite the impossibility of generalizing the results due to the heterogeneity of the studies, we have noted the importance of strategies for stimulation of sensory-motor-oral system to decrease the period of transition to full oral feeding system.