Your job of helping parents care for their little ones’ smiles just got a whole lot easier. This summer, the American Dental Association published an article titled, Five Things Dentists and Patients Should Question. Their # 1 recommendation? Dentists should should not promote toothpaste without fluoride for young children. The article states the benefits of brushing with fluoride toothpaste begin with the eruption of the first baby tooth, before the age of 1, and that brushing baby’s teeth with non-fluoridated toothpaste provides no benefit in preventing tooth decay. This is the same advice parents should be getting from their children’s pediatricians, thanks to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation.
This is good news for childcare providers, parents and other professionals engaged in the well-being of young children because brushing with fluoride toothpaste is the simplest, most effective (and cost-effective!) way to prevent tooth decay in young children, the most common, chronic childhood disease in the US. And, it aligns with the proposed revised North Carolina Child Care Rules regarding fluoride toothpaste use, expected in the summer of 2017. What an empowering message to deliver to parents!
Remind parents, from the first tooth up to the third birthday, use a tiny smear of fluoride toothpaste the size of a grain of rice. After the third birthday, use a pea-size amount.
Photo Credit: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center
Learn More
To learn more about fluoride and its beneficial effects on young children’s teeth, click on the short, helpful video All About Fluoride. To learn more about protecting little ones’ healthy smiles, explore our new website for people engaged in the well-being of very small children: toothtalk.org. Click on the link to see our newest video!
