Firstly, a reduction in the amount of toothpaste used
should be achieved by educating parents to offer small,
and therefore safe, amounts of toothpaste. For children
between 4 and 6 years old, parents can be taught to use an
amount equivalent to “a pea size”, dispending toothpaste
over the toothbrush with the “transverse technique”. For
children in a more tender age, parents should simply
touch the toothbrush inside the toothpaste cover or tube,
instead of squeezing it on the toothbrush (16). It has to
be always reminded that children under six years old
should be monitored during tooth brushing, encouraged
not to swallow toothpaste, and not to use fluoridated
mouth rinses.