Many children abuse it with toothpaste, study



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Many children abuse it with toothpaste, study
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It is recommended to brush the teeth of children when the first tooth bursts, from 6 months, and the first visit to the dentist should take place at the latest at the age of one year (2 to 4 years). According to a new study, nearly 40% of children aged 3 to 6 years consumed more toothpaste than recommended by dentists.

According to C.D.C. and the American Dental Association, parents of children in this age group should not squeeze more of a quantity of toothpaste the size of a pea on their brush.

The study involved nearly 1,700 children in this age group and found that about 38% of them used more than the recommended amount of toothpaste. This excess amount of toothpaste could potentially exceed the daily fluoride intake recommendations and also contribute to dental fluorosis.

Fluorosis affects only children because the damage occurs when the teeth develop under the gums. This does not affect overall dental health, but it can result in white lines or trails on the teeth.

C.D.C. "Children under 3 should use even less toothpaste, as directed. For these children, parents should only squeeze a thin smear of fluoride toothpaste, about the size of a grain of rice. Young children are more susceptible to fluorosis and less able to spit toothpaste into the sink, which increases the risk of ingestion. "

The spokesman of the badociation, Dr. Jonathan Shenkin, said: "The results of the study were a red flag" indicating that the public does not fully understand the guidelines for the application of toothpaste.

"One problem is that parents tend to get conflicting advice about how much toothpaste children should use and whether younger children should use fluoride toothpaste."

Dr. Alene Marie D'Alesio, Head of the Pediatric Dentistry Department at Pittsburgh Children's Hospital, said that problems with brushing guidelines often stem from parents not being with their children .

"What's really happening is that parents follow the brushing rules twice a day, but they may not always be there."

The first time parents should leave their child alone when they brush their teeth is 6 years old, although they might consider staying until their child turns 8 years old.

C.D.C. had some reservations about the results: the parents themselves reported information, leaving more precision than if the researchers observed the brushing directly. In addition, participants were not asked whether the toothpaste had fluoride.

Dr. Shenkin said the message that parents should remove is not that they should stop using fluoride toothpastes. Instead, he advised, "Use it, but use it in the right amount so your children do not swallow too much."

The study is published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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