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Resource Library
Quiz for Parents
Brush Up on Healthy Teeth:
Simple Steps for Kids’ Smiles
Back to Brush Up Fact Sheet
February 2002
Learn more about
keeping your child's teeth healthy with this true or false quiz.
_T or F_ All children older
than 6 months should receive a fluoride supplement every day.
- _T or F_ Parents should start
cleaning their child’s teeth as soon as the first tooth appears.
- _T or F_ Parents should start
brushing their child’s teeth with toothpaste that contains fluoride at
age 3.
- _T or F_ Children younger than
6 years should use enough toothpaste with fluoride to cover the
toothbrush.
- _T or F_ Parents
should brush their child’s teeth twice a day until the child can
handle the toothbrush alone.
- _T or F_ Young
children should always use fluoride mouth rinses after brushing.
ANSWERS
- False.
Check with your child’s
doctor or dentist about your child’s specific fluoride needs.
Parents of a child older than 6 months should discuss the need for a
fluoride supplement with the doctor or dentist if drinking water does
not have enough fluoride to help prevent cavities.
Back
to Questions
- True.
Start cleaning as soon as the
first tooth appears. Wipe teeth every day with a clean, damp cloth.
Switch to a small, soft toothbrush as more teeth come in.
Back
to Questions
- False.
Parents should start using
toothpaste with fluoride to brush their child’s teeth at age 2.
Toothpaste with fluoride may be used earlier if the child’s doctor
or dentist recommends it.
Back
to Questions
- False.
Young children should use
only a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride is important
for fighting cavities, but if children younger than 6 years swallow
too much fluoride, their permanent teeth may have white spots. Using
no more than a pea-sized amount of toothpaste with fluoride can help
keep this from happening.
Back
to Questions
- True.
Children usually do not have
the skill to brush their teeth well until around age 4 or 5. Parents
should brush their young child’s teeth thoroughly twice a day until
the child can handle the toothbrush alone.
Back
to Questions
- False.
Fluoride mouth rinses have a
high concentration of fluoride. Children younger than 6 years should
not use fluoride mouth rinses unless the child’s doctor or dentist
recommends it. Young children tend to swallow rather than spit, and
swallowing too much fluoride before age 6 may cause the permanent
teeth to have white spots.
Back
to Questions
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The Brush Up documents are available as PDF
files. Learn about viewing PDF files with Adobe
Acrobat.
To receive copies of Brush
Up on Healthy Teeth: Simple Steps for Kids’ Smiles, send a request
to brushup@cdc.gov
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