Study reveals using excess toothpaste can put kids at risk of tooth decay

How many of us squirt quite a generous amount of toothpaste on our toothbrushes, usually occupying about half to full of the brush? Well, we’ve grown up doing so, pat will come the reply. Have you ever wondered what’s the appropriate amount of toothpaste required for cleaning our pearly whites? And can using it too much can harm the teeth? Read on to know more...

According to health experts, too many young kids are using too much toothpaste, thus increasing their risk of streaky teeth when they get older. According to a study by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, about 40 per cent of kids aged three to six used a brush that was full or half-full of toothpaste, even though experts recommend no more than a pea-sized amount, the study found. It surveyed parents of over 5,000 kids aged three to 15.

Health officials recommend that kids under three are to use a smear of toothpaste the size of a grain of rice, whereas kids three to six are supposed to keep it to a pea-sized amount. “Fluoride has wonderful benefits but it needs to be used carefully,” said Dr Mary Hayes, a paediatric dentist in Chicago. When teeth are forming, excess fluoride can lead to tooth streaking or spottiness known as dental fluorosis. Previous studies have suggested fluorosis has been increasing for at least three decades, and can affect as many as two out of five adolescents.

EXPERT SPEAK

Fluoride is often mixed to toothpaste as it can aid in preventing cavities, fortify the damaged tooth enamel, reverses primary tooth decay, condenses the development of dental bacteria and slows the loss of minerals from the tooth enamel. Although it is definitely safe if given to toddlers and kids, the key is to use it correctly, opines Dr Karishma Jaradi, aesthetic dentist — Dentzz Dental. She adds, “Since fluoride toothpaste has a higher amount of the substance, it’s not advisable to swallow it. There are fluoride-free toothpastes available in the market that are recommended for infants and toddlers.”

Flouride-free toothpaste is reccommneded for toddlers

WHAT’S THE APPROPRIATE QUANTITY?

Generally, a lot of people tend to cover 3/4th or full of head of the brush with toothpaste thinking that it helps aid in cleaning their teeth better. How true is that? If not, what is the ideal amount of toothpaste to be used? Paediatric dentist, Dr Reshma Shah, says, “Preschoolers can use just a tiny smear of toothpaste and kids above six years of age can use a small pea-sized amount of toothpaste only. Even for adults, a pea-sized amount is sufficient.”

In her practice, Dr Jaradi often come across such patients who, in order to uphold a healthy condition of their sparkly whites, use an amount of toothpaste that almost covers the entire head of the toothbrush. “What’s more important is not the amount of the toothpaste but it’s actually the frequency of brushing as well as the correct method or technique of brushing, which is going to keep your teeth clean and healthy. In general, for adults plus children, the recommended frequency of brushing is two to three times a day.”