Paxton Targets Fluoride Toothpaste Marketing to Kids

Clip art- drawing of toothbrush and happy tooth — Texas AG Paxton says that certain cartoon themed fluoride toothpaste brands are encouraging parents to squeeze much more on the toothbrushes of young children than the recommended pea- and rice-size amounts. *(Image: Pixabay)*

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Thursday (May 1) that he has launched an investigation into whether two manufacturers of popular toothpaste brands are marketing their products containing fluoride to kids in ways that are misleading, deceptive and dangerous to parents and children.

Paxton said he has sent “civil investigative demands” to the manufacturers of the Colgate (by Colgate-Palmolive Co.) and Crest (by Proctor & Gamble Manufacturing Co.) toothpaste brands amid a growing body of scientific evidence demonstrating that excessive fluoride exposure is not safe for children.

Both brands use cartoon characters such as Bluey or Disney Princess themed, kid-friendly art on the toothpastes.

“Rice Sized” or “Pea Sized”

Paxton said that the CDC recommends that parents put only a rice-sized “smear” of toothpaste on the brush until the child turns three-years old, and that the American Dental Association recommends parents should use no more than a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste on the brush for children ages 3 to 6.

Paxton accused the named toothpaste manufacturers of continuing to flavor their products and deceptively market them in ways that encourage kids to ingest fluoride toothpaste and mislead their parents to use far more than the safe and recommended amount of fluoride toothpaste.

Doubling Down

Note: Meanwhile, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been doubling down on his harsh criticism of fluoride in the nation’s water supplies, including by recently commenting (according to USA Today) that the chemical is making Americans “stupider” … “and we need smart kids in the country, and we need healthy kids.”

Closer to home, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller recently called on Gov. Abbott and the Legislature to institute a statewide ban on fluoride and other non-water additives (Spectrum News).

Neither of the two bills that directly relate to fluoride have advanced beyond the committee stage. SB2653-Hall, seeks to ban fluoride outright from being added to public water supplies, while HB3429-Tinderholt, would require water bills to disclose the amount of fluoride in the drinking water.