Faced with a dazzling array of "children's toothpaste", many parents are often confused and have many doubts.
Should I buy fluoride toothpaste? Can adult toothpastes be used by babies? Is it necessary for children to use toothpastes that claim to have whitening, anti-allergic, and hemostatic functions?
In fact, the most important role of children's toothpaste is to clean the tooth surface and prevent caries. The Chinese Stomatological Association recommends the use of fluoride toothpaste to improve the ability of teeth to prevent caries.
Therefore, the key to choosing children's toothpaste is to choose fluoride toothpaste.
There has been a view that fluoride toothpaste cannot be used before the age of 2 to avoid poisoning by swallowing.
However, in 2014, the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics revised this view: Babies can use fluoride toothpaste from the first tooth.
Since the baby does not spit water, in order to reduce the risk of accidental swallowing, it is recommended that the toothpaste should be the size of a grain of rice before the age of 3, and the size of a pea at the age of 3 to 6.
As long as you choose a qualified toothpaste and control the dosage, even if you swallow it by mistake, the fluoride intake is very small, so there is no need to worry.
For babies under 3 years old who cannot rinse their mouths, parents can use wet gauze to wipe off excess toothpaste to reduce swallowing and residue.
In addition, it is not recommended for children to use adult toothpaste, because children's toothpaste has many flavors and is less irritating, even if the baby swallows it while brushing, it is relatively safe.
According to the latest national standard, the total fluoride content of children's toothpaste is 0.05% to 0.11%, while the total fluoride content of ordinary adult fluoride toothpaste is 0.05% to 0.15%, which is higher than that of children's toothpaste. If swallowed, the impact will be greater. Some.
When buying children's toothpaste, parents should pay attention to the ingredients:
Generally speaking, abrasives can increase the cleaning effect of toothpaste. Toothpastes with fine paste and no obvious graininess should be selected. Aluminum hydroxide, calcium bicarbonate, and hydrated silica are all abrasives with finer particles;
Aromatics and sweeteners give toothpaste a variety of flavors. Xylitol, sorbitol, isomalt, etc. are all non-cariogenic sugar substitutes, which can be used with confidence, just choose the taste that your baby likes;
Toothpaste also contains emulsifiers, foaming agents, preservatives, etc., as long as it meets the national standards, it will not harm health;
As for the multi-functional toothpastes such as whitening, anti-sensitivity, and hemostasis, it is not necessary for children. If the baby's teeth have pain, bleeding and other problems, they should seek medical attention in time.
Text / Qi Xuan and Lv Jiao (Beijing Tsinghua Chang Gung Memorial Hospital)