When should my child start using toothpaste?
There are many brands of children's toothpaste in the supermarket these days and it can be confusing which one to buy. Children's paste have adjusted levels of fluoride for specific age groups. It is advisable to read the label and choose the appropriate paste for your child's age. UNDER 12 MONTHS Use a soft, age appropriate children's brush with NO toothpaste for children under twelve months of age. 12 MONTHS TO 18 MONTHS Once your child is 12 months old a very small smear of paste is advised. 18 MONTHS TO 6 YEARS You can start using a pea-sized amount of low-fluoride toothpaste on your child’s toothbrush from 18 months of age if your child can spit out. Some toothpaste brands have several different age ranges in their toothpaste options. Check the label for your child's age to purchase the most appropriate paste for your child. 6 YEARS AND OVER Age 6 years is when your child can use a pea-sized amount of regular toothpaste.
An adult must supervise and/or dispense the paste.
Fluoride is a safe naturally occurring mineral that helps keep teeth strong and prevents tooth decay. Every State in Australia except for Queensland has very low amounts of added fluoride in tap water. Research shows that the average 12 year old child in Queensland has three times more decay than any other 12 year old in Australia.
References Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health (2012). Outcome of fluoride consensus workshop 2012 to review fluoride guidelines from 2005. Adelaide: ARCPOH. Retrieved 26 July 2019 from https://www.adelaide.edu.au/arcpoh/dperu/fluoride/Outcome_of_fluoride_consensus_workshop_2012.pdf.
Kawashita, Y., Kitamura, M., & Saito, T. (2011). Early childhood caries. International Journal of Dentistry, 725320, 1-7. doi: 10.1155/2011/725320.
Pitts, N.B., Zero, D.T., Marsh, P.D., Ekstrand, K., Weintraub, J.A., Ramos-Gomez, F., Tagami, J., Twetman, S., Tsakos, G., & Ismail, A. (2017). Dental caries. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 3, 17030. doi: 10.1038/nrdp.2017.30.
Walsh, T., Worthington, H.V., Glenny, A., Marinho, V.C.C., & Jeroncic, A. (2019). Fluoride toothpastes of different concentrations for preventing dental caries. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2019, 3, CD007868. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007868.pub3.
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