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What Are the Dangers of Toothpaste Ingestion by Children?

While toothpaste is meant to keep teeth clean and prevent cavities, it does come with some inherent danger if ingested. This is mainly due to the fact that toothpaste contains a substantial amount of fluoride. When accidentally ingested by a child, it can result in mild to severe medical complications.

  1. Upset Stomach

    • One of the less severe dangers of fluoride ingestion in children is an upset stomach. When an excessive amount fluoride comes into contact with the digestive tract, the hydrofluoric acid basically eats away the stomach lining. As a result, a child will experience stomach issues like nausea, diarrhea and cramps. The severity of the problem will depend upon exactly how much toothpaste the child ingested. Typically, an average sized 2-year-old will experience some type of stomach discomfort after ingesting 2 to 3 percent of his toothpaste.

    Vomiting

    • Another common problem is vomiting. Once the fluoride from toothpaste is ingested, it's often the body's natural reaction to reject it, which leads to vomiting. When this happens, it can also lead to a burning sensation in the throat after the toothpaste has been thrown up. If your child has been vomiting after toothpaste ingestion, he has most likely experienced some form of fluoride toxicity and medical attention should be sought immediately.

    Dental Fluorosis

    • Another problem is dental fluorosis. While it doesn't cause any immediate physical complications, it does do damage to a child's teeth. Whenever toothpaste is ingested, the fluoride does damage to the cells that are responsible for creating tooth enamel. As a result, this dental fluorosis often leaves discolored marks on the teeth. Less severe dental fluorosis will create white marks, while more severe cases will create dark marks. Consequently, this condition leaves many children feeling ashamed of their teeth, which can create self-esteem issues.

    Death

    • The worst possible danger of toothpaste ingestion is death. While this only happens in rare cases, it's still a real possibility if a toxic level of fluoride is ingested by a child. For an average sized 2-year-old child, 60 mg of fluoride is the typical lethal dosage. The problem is that the average size child's toothpaste bottle contains 143 mg of fluoride. Consequently, a child could be poisoned and die after consuming less than half a bottle of toothpaste.

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