Is it okay for babies to eat toothpaste?

Children are susceptible to dental problems for many reasons. Parents are the ones who will guide their children to brush their teeth properly. However, sometimes it is inevitable that children eat toothpaste. So, is it okay for children to swallow toothpaste?

Tooth decay, gingivitis are common oral diseases in children. The reasons are:
The children are too young to care about oral hygiene Parents are indifferent, subjective to the children's dental care The appearance of fast food and soft drinks causes the number of bacteria accumulate in the oral cavity of older children. One of the solutions to help solve dental diseases in children is to brush their teeth regularly and regularly twice a day. The ingredients in toothpaste will help remove bacteria, food plaque to protect healthy teeth and odor-free breath.

Children are inherently hyperactive and curious. Therefore, it is easy for children to swallow or eat toothpaste if parents do not instruct. So when children swallow toothpaste, parents are often very worried. Because many children have health problems when accidentally eating toothpaste. According to dentists, children when swallowing a large amount of toothpaste with high fluoride content will negatively affect health. Specifically:
Your baby's teeth are likely to be fluoridated with signs such as: Teeth that are discolored or have bandings. One of the side effects of fluoride is a reduction in bone strength leading to brittleness. Therefore, when children swallow a large amount of toothpaste, it will affect bone function. In toothpaste, there are ingredients for flavoring, bleaching, preservatives... When children swallow toothpaste, it means that swallowing these chemicals into the body will not be good for health. A serious condition when toothpaste is swallowed is fluoride poisoning. In addition to fluoride, toothpaste contains other ingredients that can be harmful to children's health when swallowed.
Sorbitol is the ingredient that causes intestinal diseases such as: Diarrhea Foaming agent Sodium lauryl sulfate causes children to experience abdominal pain, diarrhea...

According to experts, to be safe for the health of children, parents should choose a toothpaste with fluoride content according to age. Specifically:
Children under the age of 6 should choose a toothpaste with a fluoride content of 200 - 500ppm. Even children under 3 years old can use non-fluoridated toothpaste. Because at this age, children are too young and it is easy to swallow toothpaste. Children between the ages of 6-11 years old can use a cream with a fluoride content of 200-500ppm. In particular, children over 12 years old can safely use creams with the same fluoride content as adults, from 1,000 to 1,500ppm. Parents should not use toothpaste with too much fluoride, which will increase the risk of poisoning. In addition, parents should teach children how to brush their teeth properly so as not to cause damage to teeth and gums and to clean the oral cavity.
In the process of cleaning teeth, children should only take a sufficient amount of cream, stains on teeth can also be dislodged.

Reference source: trungtamnhakhoa.com.vn