“Children under the age of 6 years can swallow up to 25-33% of the fluoride toothpaste used at each brushing because their swallowing reflex is not fully developed.” The CDC recommends that parents,“brush your child’s teeth twice a day until your child has the
skill to handle the toothbrush alone,” and to continue to “supervise them to make sure the child is doing a thorough job and only using a small amount of toothpaste.” A study in Adelaide, Australia, reported on the toothbrushing practices of 2 to 3 year olds.
Not surprisingly,they found that “the level of supervision in tooth brushing was below that which is recommended” for this age group