Are you a mom or dad and are unsure what is safe for you child when it comes to brushing their teeth?  Here is some updated recommendations from the American Dental Association:

To create consistent recommendations regarding fluoride toothpaste use in children younger than 6 years, the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs conducted a systematic review of the evidence. The results of the study demonstrate that for children younger than 6 years, fluoride toothpaste use is effective in caries control. Based on the evidence, the Council recommends the following:

• For children younger than 3 years, caregivers should begin brushing children’s teeth as soon as they begin to come into the mouth by using fluoride toothpaste in an amount no more than a smear or the size of a grain of rice.
• For children 3 to 6 years of age, caregivers should dispense no more than a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste.

The Council stated, “This regimen is intended to maximize the caries-preventive benefits of fluoride while further reducing the risk of developing fluorosis when compared to the previous recommendations.” The complete systematic review is published in the February 2014 issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association.