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.