Toothpaste

How effective a fluoride toothpaste is depends on the amount of fluoride in it. The higher the concentration, the greater the benefit.

Toothpastes with a high fluoride concentration (more than 1500 ppm) are classed as a medicine. These can only be prescribed by a dentist. They are used to help adults with a serious tooth decay problem.

Fluoride is added to toothpaste either as sodium fluoride (NaF); sodium monofluorophosphate (SMFP); stannous fluoride (SnF) or amine fluoride (AmF). They are all equally effective.

Yes. Most of the largest chemists sell this.

In countries where toothpastes are more or less the only form of fluoride available, general levels of dental decay have fallen by over 50%. Dental experts have agreed this is almost entirely due to the use of fluoride toothpaste.

Similarly, a recent review of clinical studies lasting two to three years showed that fluoride toothpastes reduced decay in baby teeth by 37% and in permanent teeth by 24% when compared to non-fluoride toothpaste. They may be even more effective when used over a lifetime.

Fluoride toothpastes are now regarded as so effective that it would be unethical to run a study using non-fluoridated toothpaste.

The fluoride in toothpaste works in two ways. Firstly, it reduces the loss of mineral from the tooth surface during an acid attack produced by the germs which cause tooth decay. Secondly it helps to repair any damage caused once the attack has finished.

In Europe, fluoride toothpastes can be sold over the counter as long as the fluoride concentration is less than 1500 parts per million (ppm). This is the same as milligrams per kilo (mg/k).

You should brush your teeth at least twice a day: at night and also during the day.

Both are equally effective. Brushing just before a meal reduces the number of germs in the mouth and leaves fluoride on the tooth surface. Brushing after a meal will also leave fluoride on the teeth.

If you rinse your mouth after brushing, use only a small amount of water. Too much water will wash away the fluoride and reduce the benefits.

Yes. You get additional benefits from fluoride toothpaste.

Fluoride toothpaste was first made widely available in the 1950s. Today, 98% of all toothpastes contain fluoride.

Put a small pea-sized amount, or smear, of toothpaste on your finger. Either rub it around the teeth or let your child suck it.

Toothpaste is not meant to be swallowed. If children under seven years of age swallow too much fluoride while their adult teeth are forming, there is a small risk these teeth may develop fluorosis .

It is important parents supervise young children brushing their teeth. Use only a small pea-sized amount or a small smear of toothpaste. Keep toothpastes out of reach of small children.

It is recommended that you should start using fluoride toothpaste when your child's first teeth erupt .

It is important you supervise brushing and put only a small pea-sized amount or a small smear of toothpaste on the brush.

A useful tip is to put the toothpaste across, rather than along, the head of the brush. This will control the amount you use.

For children aged 0-3 years use a smear of toothpaste containing at least 1,000ppm fluoride.

For children aged 3-6 use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste containing 1,350 - 1,500ppm fluoride.

If the water in your area is fluoridated or your dentist suggests fluoride tablets or drops for a child under the age of seven years, you may be advised to use toothpaste containing less than 600ppm fluoride.