Dental Opinions, Can eating tooth paste kill some one?
Question: I have a niece that is six years old and I caught her eating toothpaste once and her mom said she caught her doing that too. She tell her to stop but dose not see it as such a big deal either.
Reply: If she are using tooth paste with fluoride. Fluoride is toxic. On most tooth paste with fluoride you can read a warning label. If her daughter is eating toothpaste then she should keep it out of reach from her daughter and make sure she is with her when she brushes her teeth. Until her daughter stops. You can note the warning label as posted below.
ADA POSITIONS & STATEMENTS
ADA STATEMENT ON FDA TOOTHPASTE WARNING LABELS
The American Dental Association’s (ADA) Council on Scientific Affairs believes that one part of the warning now required on fluoride toothpastes by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could unnecessarily frighten parents and children, and that the label greatly overstates any demonstrated or potential danger posed by fluoride toothpastes.
The label language, “If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately” is now required on all fluoride toothpastes. But the ADA, in a letter sent to the FDA last year, pointed out that a child could not absorb enough fluoride from toothpaste to cause a serious problem and that the excellent safety record on fluoride toothpaste argues against any unnecessary regulation.
Recent media coverage has focused attention on the safety of fluoride toothpastes, but the coverage has not revealed that the ADA limited the amount of fluoride allowed in ADA-Accepted toothpaste years ago for this reason.
In addition, back in 1991, the ADA began requiring that toothpaste manufacturers include the following language on all ADA-Accepted toothpastes: “Do not swallow. Use only a pea-sized amount for children under six. To prevent swallowing, children under six years of age should be supervised in the use of toothpaste.” The new FDA labels are consistent with the ADA statements, with the exception of the poison control warning.
The ADA warning labels were required to help reduce the risk of mild fluorosis, which is a cosmetic defect noticeable as very light spots on permanent teeth and develops only while the teeth are still forming. Fluorosis only occurs when more than the optimal daily amount of fluoride is ingested.
Through its ADA Seal of Acceptance program, the toothpaste manufacturers must submit clinical data to the ADA in order to meet its guidelines on safety and effectiveness. Additionally, all products with the ADA Seal must submit the product’s advertising and packaging for review so that consumers and dentists have assurance that the claims the product makes are supported by the clinical data.