The purpose of the present study was to determine the average amount of fluoridated toothpaste applied by parents to a child's toothbrush in response to verbal instructions to limit the quantity to a "pea" or "smear" on a child's toothbrush. It was hypothesized
that parents would apply amounts that differed significantly from the recommended quantities associated with the terms "pea" (0.25 g) and "smear" (0.125 g). Secondly, parents were asked for alternate phrases to convey amounts corresponding to 0.25 and 0.125 g of fluoridated toothpaste.