Children use too much toothpaste and it's actually a problem

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Transmit Important Message to Parents: Your Kids may be using it too much toothpaste, and it can actually be dangerous for them oral health.

Children ages 3 to 6 are not expected to use more than one pea amount for this age group, for example. American Dental Association (ADA). Children under 3 years old should only use a smear the size of a grain of rice.

But according to a new CDC report, many children use a lot more than that.

For the new study, researchers badyzed nationally representative survey data from parents of children aged 3 to 15 collected between 2013 and 2016. In total, data from 5,157 children been included in the study.

The results showed that almost 40% of children aged 3 to 6 years used more toothpaste than dentists recommend. In fact, about 60% of children aged 3 to 15 years used a toothpaste of half-toothbrush or full of toothpaste to brush their teeth. In the 3- to 6-year-old age group, 12% used a smear, 49.2% used the exact amount of pea, 20.6% used a half-toothbrush, and 17.8 % used a toothbrush full of toothpaste.

"The findings suggest that children and adolescents engage in appropriate daily preventative dental health practices," the authors wrote. "However, the implementation of the recommendations is not optimal."

Toothpaste seems harmless enough, but using too much of it can cause problems.

The main concern here is fluoride, the researchers said. Fluoride is an important mineral to reduce tooth decay when it is used appropriately, according to the ADA. It is often found in toothpaste and in many public water systems.

Although fluoride is generally considered a good thing for teeth (and the ADA recommend brushing your child's teeth with a fluoride toothpaste), brush with as well a lot of toothpaste containing fluoride can damage the enamel of a child's teeth (the hard and outer surface of their teeth) when they swallow it, says the CDC. And younger children inevitably swallow the toothpaste they brush with, SELF Danelle Fisher, MD, vice-president of pediatrics at Saint John's Providence Health Center in Santa Monica, California told SELF. "Children under 6 do not spit very well," she says.

Too much fluoride can also cause discoloration and stings, a condition known as dental fluorosis, says the CDC. If fluoride discolors a child's teeth, it can give them a mottled, white-lace or, in severe cases, brownish appearance. SOI. And potential problems are not limited to teeth: too much fluoride can even affect bone density of a childSays Dr. Fisher. "It's really a very serious thing," she adds.

It is recommended that adults also stick to the size of a pea, but that this is not a problem for adults. "This is not as worrying for adults because their teeth and bones are developed," says Jamie Alan, Ph.D., Pharm.D., Assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University. at SELF. You can still technically consume too much fluoride and potentially have bone density problems, but if you brush your teeth and spit your toothpaste properly, as most adults do, toothpaste should not cause any side effects, says Alan .

It really only becomes a problem if your child is constantly making excess toothpaste in the long run.

Of course, at some point, your child probably used too much toothpaste, and that's fine; using too much fluoride toothpaste occasionally is probably fine. But it's important to keep an eye on "It's not about using too much toothpaste once or twice," says Mark S Wolff, DDS, Ph.D., Dean of the University of Ottawa. Dental School of the University of Pennsylvania,. "It's for years." Basically, you want to correct your child's habits as soon as possible.

Even though excessive intake of fluoride is a potential problem, Dr. Geisinger says you do not have to worry. as well a lot. Just monitor your child's toothpaste, watch him brush to make sure he's doing it well, and keep the tube out of his reach when he's not using it.

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