Department of Health to indicate fluoride in toothpaste for children to prevent over consumption

BANGKOK, 10 July 2014 (NNT) – The Department of Health (DOH) is coordinating with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to indicate the amount of fluoride added to toothpaste for children, in order to prevent over consumption which may lead to mottled teeth. Children aged below three should not be given fluoride toothpaste over 500 PPM, but aged above six can use 1,000 PPM fluoride toothpaste because they can control swallowing.

According to the director-general Noppornthep Siriwanarangsan, in 2013, a survey conducted in supermarkets in Bangkok metropolitan area found that 92 percent of toothpastes for children contained fluoride, but only 13 out of 37 items from 10 brands listed the amount of fluoride the tube contained. ....