Many parents are brushing children’s teeth with an unhealthy amount of toothpaste, CDC warns
- About 40 per cent of young US children are using so much toothpaste they risk fluorosis, white marks and discolouration of teeth
- Children aged three to six should only use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste
Many parents of young children are brushing their kids’ teeth with so much toothpaste, it’s unhealthy, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nearly 40 per cent of US children aged three to six used more toothpaste than recommended by dentists, a CDC study found. The CDC and the American Dental Association recommend that children in that age group should use no more than a pea-size amount of paste per brushing.
Children younger than three should use only a smear of toothpaste, only the size of a rice grain.
The CDC findings, which were released Friday, were based on a survey of parents with children aged three to 15, and found that about 60 per cent used a half or full load of paste on the toothbrush head. Among children three to six, about 12 per cent used a smear, 49.2 per cent used a pea-size, 20.6 per cent used a half load and 17.8 per cent used a full load.
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Brushing with too much toothpaste can damage enamel, since children could swallow too much fluoride while their teeth are developing, the CDC says. This can cause dental fluorosis, white marks and discolouration of teeth.
Brushing habits of about 5,100 children were included in the report based on data from 2013 to 2016.
The American Academy of Paediatrics and the CDC recommend that parents begin brushing their child’s teeth with toothpaste at age two. Brushing with water is recommended as soon as teeth come in. The CDC survey found that nearly 80 per cent of children began brushing after one year.
The data used for the analysis was based on parents’ self-reporting. Also, it is unknown if the toothpaste reported was fluoride or non-fluoride.
