Parents in Portsmouth are set to receive advice on which types of toothpaste should be used by their children in an effort to improve the city's poor oral health standards.
A list of approved fluoride toothpastes is being sent to all of the 27 NHS dental practices in Portsmouth by the city’s health committee.
According to the guidelines, children under the age of three should use toothpaste containing at least 1,000 parts-per-million of fluoride, while youngsters aged between three and six years should use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste containing between 1,350 and 1,500 parts-per-million of fluoride.
The move comes as latest figures reveal oral health among five-year-olds in Portsmouth is among the worst in the south-east region and below the national average.
Children in the city have an average 1.8 missing, decayed, filled or treated teeth by the time they start primary school, compared to 1.5 for the rest of the country.
Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones, the city's director of public health and wellbeing, said dentists need to encourage more parents to take their children for checks.
He said: "The primary care trust is clear that children should start regularly attending general dental practices as soon as they are able to follow simple instructions."
"This enables an oral inspection, a discussion about oral health promotion with the parent and provides an opportunity to familiarise the child with dental care . This also provides a chance to reinforce to parents that dental care is free for children."
He is also issuing a reminder that children should brush their teeth just before going to bed and on one other occasion during the day under adult supervision; they should spit out their toothpaste after brushing; and should avoid using mouth rinses.
