Recommendations / 12/05/2020

What happens when kids swallow fluoride?

If your child regularly swallows larger amounts of toothpaste, the excessive fluoride can damage tooth enamel and cause dental fluorosis, which causes white stains on the teeth. Their risk of damage depends on the amount of fluoride they ingest and how long they continue doing so.

How much is a pea-sized amount of toothpaste?

Figure. The toothbrush on the left shows a smear of toothpaste (0.1 milligram of fluoride) and the one on the right a pea-sized amount (0.25 mg of fluoride).

What happens if you swallow fluoride?

If your mouthwash contains fluoride, this ingredient might upset your stomach if you swallow a significant amount. Fluoride gels, when swallowed in large amounts, can also cause symptoms like pain, nausea, or vomiting.

Is fluoride necessary for toddlers?

While babies and children need less fluoride than adults, very small doses of fluoride aren’t harmful to babies younger than 6 months old. Once babies’ teeth begin to come in, the addition of dental hygiene practices, with fluoride toothpaste, will help protect the new teeth.

What happens if a child eats too much toothpaste?

When fluoride is in the stomach, it can cause irritation leading to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. That’s why children who eat toothpaste may develop minor gastrointestinal symptoms. It is unlikely for a child to have anything beyond short-term stomach upset from eating toothpaste.

What happens if a child eats pea sized amount of fluoride toothpaste?

However, swallowing more than a pea-sized amount each day increases a kid’s risk for dental fluorosis, a condition that leads to brown spots and staining of the teeth [source: Wagner].

How many tubes of toothpaste can a 8 year old eat?

According to the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, the lethal dose for an 8-year old child weighing 45 pounds is 655 milligrams. Your child would have to consume more than four tubes of toothpaste to reach this level.

How much toothpaste is too much for a 2 year old?

Your child would have to consume more than four tubes of toothpaste to reach this level. For a 2-year-old, 22-pound child, the lethal dose is 320 milligrams, or more than two full tubes of toothpaste. Of course, not all pastes are created equal.

How many milligrams of fluoride can a child eat?

A 22-pound child can suffer from fluoride poisoning at doses as low as 1 milligram, while a 45-pound child would need to ingest 2 milligrams to experience similar symptoms.

How much should a child have in a pea sized amount?

This is particularly important for young children, so using a ‘pea-sized amount’ is generally recommended. However, there appears little guidance regarding what this means in practice, although it has been indicated to be 0.25 g.

How often should a child use a pea sized amount of dentifrice?

There is also a near-universal requirement for dentifrice pack labels to provide advice that young children should use ‘a pea-sized amount’, typically for twice-daily toothbrushing.

However, swallowing more than a pea-sized amount each day increases a kid’s risk for dental fluorosis, a condition that leads to brown spots and staining of the teeth [source: Wagner].