ADA Reveals New Fluoride Toothpaste Guidelines
Created on March 15, 2014
The American Dental Association (ADA) has been recommending for half a century now that parents should start using a pea-size amount of fluoride toothpaste for children by the time they’re 2 years old. A recent announcement by the association last February is now encouraging parents and caregivers to use fluoride toothpaste by the time their child’s first tooth appears.
New ADA Recommendations on Toothpaste Use for Children
The ADA is now recommending a jumpstart on prevention of dental cavities in children. The association, however, emphasizes that the tiniest amount of fluoride toothpaste should be used to avoid fluorosis (appearance of white spots in the teeth due to ingestion of too much fluoride).
The new recommendations were made after a systematic review of 17 studies that were published in the Journal of the American Dental Association. The review concluded that use of fluoride toothpaste is effective in preventing tooth decay in children regardless of age. Furthermore, the new guidelines also recommends that children should be encouraged to spit out the fluoride toothpaste as soon as they can do so.
Dr. David Peck of Taylor Street Dental Associates applauds the new recommendations as he has seen a lot of cases of children and young adults with severe cases of dental cavities here at our Massachusetts dental practice. Such problems may have been avoided if the habit of using fluoride toothpaste were encouraged early in their lives.
Let us help you deal with dental cavities and its accompanying oral health problems. Call us at (413) 241-3264 or fill out this contact form to schedule an appointment today. It is our goal to make your smile naturally beautiful and healthy!
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