Expert answers
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Is it safe to swallow flouride toothpaste repeatedly?
Hello Dr Pinder. I am a speech and language therapist working with children with special needs. Some of the children on my caseload are not able to eat or drink anything due to unsafe swallow. What do you recommend as dental hygiene for these children. Is it safe for them to have flouride toothpaste if they are no able to spit it out? Thank you for your time.
Hell and thank you for your enquiry. This a complex one and its difficult to say without knowing each childs condition .
There are non – fluoride toothpastes available , but often special needs patients tend to be decay prone .
using a very small pea size amount might be a possibility , so that only a very minimal amount of fluoride is ingested, and just use toothpaste once a day .
your local community dental service would be the place to seek further guidance from , and the Primary Care Trust should be able to direct you to them .
