Fluoride toothpaste can cause fluorosis: Study

Toothpastes with high concentration of fluoride prevent tooth decay in kids but they also increse the risk of developing mild fluorosis, a new study claims.

British researchers at the University of Manchester found that toothpastes with high concentration of fluoride, if swallowed in large amounts, can cause fluorosis -- white spots on teeth and brown stains or pitting of enamel in severe cases -- in children up to the age of six.

But using a small amount of paste to brush teeth can reduce the risk, according to the researchers from Cochrane Oral Health Group.

The team, which carried out 79 trials on 73,000 children worldwide, also warned that "using a fluoride toothpaste before the age of 12 months could lead to an increased risk of developing mild fluorosis."

Pastes with fluoride concentrations less than 1,000 parts per million were only as effective at preventing tooth decay in kids as non-fluoride products, the report said.

Dr Anne-Marie Glenny, an author of the study said: "It is very confusing for parents to know how to strike the right balance, which isn't helped by the fact that different companies use different concentrations of fluoride in their toothpastes aimed at children."

Emphasising that from a public health point of view, the risk of tooth decay and its consequences such as pain and extractions is greater than the small risk of fluorosis, Dr Glenny said, "for children who are at a high risk of tooth decay, the benefit of preventing decay is likely to outweigh the risk of fluorosis."

Noting that kids would have to swallow a lot of paste over a period of time to get the severe brown mottling on the teeth, she asked parents to carefully brush their children's teeth with a small amount of toothpaste containing higher levels of fluoride.

Children's toothpastes currently range from 100 parts per million to 1,400 parts per million, the Daily Mail reported.