Question

"A 1 year old child is brought to your office with his mother. Mom asks you what she should be doing at home to clean these teeth. Which of the following is your recommendation?

a. Brush her child's tooth with a smear or grain size amount of fluoridated toothpaste
b. Brush her child's tooth with a pea sized amount of non-fluoridated toothpaste
c. Brush her child's tooth with a smear or grain sized amount of non-fluoridated toothpaste
d. Nothing, we wait until more teeth are erupted before pursuing an at home oral hygiene care routine"

Answer 1

The best dental care practice for a 1-year-old is to brush their teeth with a smear or grain-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste, ensuring early protection against tooth decay and establishing good oral hygiene habits.

Step-by-step explanation:

The appropriate recommendation for cleaning the teeth of a 1-year-old child is to brush the child's teeth with a smear or grain-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste. At this age, toddlers typically have up to eight deciduous teeth, and it's important to establish good oral hygiene practices early on. Fluoride, which is common in toothpaste, becomes incorporated into the hydroxyapatite of tooth enamel, protecting against acidity from microbial fermentation and acting as a bacteriostatic agent.

Although xylitol-containing toothpaste has been demonstrated to be effective at preventing dental caries in children, for a 1-year-old child, using a fluoridated toothpaste in the correct small amount is safe and beneficial for dental health. Teeth should be brushed twice a day with a child-sized toothbrush and the parent or caregiver should supervise the brushing to ensure correct technique and to prevent the child from swallowing the toothpaste.