From Ann Wills

Thanks Joy for the important fluoride info you sent today.  I clicked on one heading which says that some children already have a high intake of fluoride from fluoride toothpaste alone. See below.  Ann.

Dental products are a major source of fluoride exposure, particularly for children. Fluoridated dental products include toothpastes, mouth rinses, fluoride gels, fluoride varnishes, and fluoride supplements. 

How Much Fluoride Are in these Products?

Fluoride Toothpastes (1,000 to 1,500 ppm)

• Over 95% of toothpastes now contain fluoride.
• A single strip of toothpaste covering the length of a child’s brush contains between 0.75 to 1.5 mg of fluoride. This exceeds the amount of fluoride in most prescription fluoride supplements (0.25 to 1.0 mg).
• Many young children swallow over 50% of the paste added to their brush, particularly if they use candy-flavored varieties and if they are not supervised during brushing to ensure they spit and fully rinse.   Research has shown that some children swallow more fluoride from toothpaste alone than is recommended from all sources combined.
• Although dentists now recommend that children only use “a pea-sized amount” of toothpaste, many children use more than this,  particularly when the toothpaste has bubble gum and watermelon flavors.
• Ingesting toothpaste during childhood is a major risk factor for dental fluorosis, and can also cause symptoms of acute fluoride toxicity (e.g., stomach pain, etc).
• The FDA now requires a poison warning on all fluoride toothpastes sold in the U.S.