Finally, you have gotten your child to brush his teeth! But wait up, according to a new research, beware how much he is squeezing out of that tube of toothpaste. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that about 60% of young children are using too much toothpaste and swallowing too much of it, which also means they’re swallowing the fluoride in it.
Nearly 40 percent of kids ages 3 to 6 are using more than the recommended amount of fluoride toothpaste – bearing the risk of developing white streaks or lines on their teeth from a condition known as dental fluorosis.
The CDC warns that “ingestion of too much fluoride while teeth are developing can result in visibly detectable changes in enamel structure such as discoloration.” Fluorosis only affects children because the damage occurs when teeth are developing under the gums.
Kids between the ages of three and six aren’t supposed to use more than a pea-sized amount, while children under three should only use a smear of toothpaste the size of a grain of rice per the American Dental Association (ADA) and CDC’s recommended amount.
The CDC findings were based on a survey of parents and guardians of about 5,157 children ages 3 to 15.
The CDC wants parents to take charge of the amount of toothpaste their child has on their toothbrush, as “supervision is emphasized as a critical role for the parent or caregiver as the child first begins using a toothbrush and toothpaste.”
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