Dental cavities are the most common chronic disease in children in the United States particularly affecting poor, disadvantaged, and minority populations. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently published a new report title “Fluoride Use in Caries Prevention in the Primary Care Setting” (Pediatrics, September 2014). The following recommendations were presented:
- Fluoridated toothpaste is recommended for all children as soon as teeth erupt and present in their mouth.
- A small, grain of rice-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste (called a “smear”) is the recommended amount to use when brushing children’s teeth up to age 3. I recommend that parents brush their children’s teeth until age 5-6.
- After age 3, a pea-sized amount of toothpaste may be used when brushing children’s teeth. Again, parents should brush teeth for their children until age 5-6.
- A professionally applied fluoride varnish is recommended every 3-6 months starting when teeth erupt and are visible in the mouth. Lower and upper front teeth always erupt first, making it easy for parents to know when teeth eruption has started.
- Over-the-counter fluoride rinses are not recommended for children younger than 6 years due to the risk of swallowing higher than recommended levels of fluoride.
One thing I will add for families in my community: Davis, Salt Lake and Weber Counties all have fluoridated water (except Woods Cross in Davis County). You should not be giving fluoride tablets or drops to your children for systemic application. This is true if you live in Woods Cross too, even though this city doesn’t fluoridate its water. People in Woods Cross will be getting systemic fluoride when they drink from grocery store fountains, schools, churches, movie theaters, businesses, friends and families homes, and many other sources.
To read the full report of the new “Pediatric Guidelines for Cavity Prevention” you can go to click on this link
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/08/19/peds.2014-1699.abstract.
Photo by
Melissa Clark 
