Children’s toothpaste costs too much says newspaper
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- Published: Thursday, 05 May 2016 07:37
- Written by News Editor
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The Times reports that parents are paying huge mark-ups for children’s toothpaste when the standard product is just as effective at protecting teeth. Toothpaste marketed at children is double the price of ordinary toothpaste even though it contains the same amount of fluoride, the paper has found. The average price of 100ml of standard branded toothpaste in the big five supermarkets is £1.21 but the average price of 100ml of children’s toothpaste is £2.40.
The article goes on to say that many parents buy children’s toothpaste because they mistakenly believe that it has less fluoride than normal toothpaste and is therefore safer. However, Colgate’s Kids 4-6 and 6+ ranges, and Aquafresh’s Little Teeth and My Big Teeth ranges have just as much fluoride as their standard products and are up to three times more expensive.
Official guidance from Public Health England recommends that even the youngest children should use fluoride toothpaste because the benefit to oral health far outweighs any risk. The guidance says that there is no need for parents to buy children’s products and that a small smear of normal toothpaste is just as effective and safe.
Kris Coomaraswamy, a lecturer in paediatric dentistry at the University of Birmingham, said: “Children’s toothpaste should be the same price as adult paste. We should be encouraging parents to get kids to brush and not put a financial barrier in the way. It is quite safe to use adult toothpaste on even the youngest children, provided you only smear a small amount.”
Research by The Times found that there was also a big mark-up on supermarkets’ own-brand ranges. Morrison’s toothpaste for children is double the price of its standard tubes while Tesco’s is 90 per cent pricier. Toothpaste makers say that the flavours of children’s toothpaste are more appealing to encourage regular brushing. Tesco even has a strawberry ice cream flavour.
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