P&G updates kids’ toothpaste packaging after Texas raises fluoride safety concerns
Key takeaways
- P&G updated the Kids’ Crest toothpaste packaging in Texas to clearly display the recommended fluoride dosage for children.
- The change follows scrutiny and legal pressure from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over allegedly misleading toothpaste imagery.
- The case highlights broader debates over fluoride safety, consumer protection, and marketing practices for children’s products.
Procter & Gamble (P&G) has released updated packaging for its Kid’s Crest toothpaste that “clearly depicts the appropriate amount” of toothpaste for children. The change follows an agreement with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton after he called the product’s toothpaste imagery “misleading.”
“When parents are teaching their kids the basic habit of brushing their teeth, they shouldn’t have to worry about deceptive marketing endangering their children,” says Paxton.
P&G officially switched its packaging in the US state on January 1. The consumer goods cooperation must remain compliant for five years.
P&G says it is “fully committed to delivering safe, reliable products that benefit the oral health outcomes of consumers.” It voluntarily agreed to “ensure that [its] artwork reflects recommended dosing levels for children.”
The American Dental Association recommends using “no more than a pea-sized amount” of fluoride toothpaste for children aged three to six.
Seeking safety
Last year, Paxton issued civil investigative demands to P&G, accusing that it flavored and marketed fluoride toothpaste in ways that encourage children to use unsafe amounts or ingest the product.
In October, P&G attempted to dismiss a private lawsuit that claimed the company violated state consumer protection laws based on the quantity of toothpaste depicted on its Kid’s Crest packaging.
Texas officials raised concerns about fluoride toothpaste imagery for children.
However, P&G’s attempt was rejected by a federal judge in Chicago. Therefore, the company was opened up to a lawsuit alleging that its packaging for kids’ toothpaste suggests that using more of the toothpaste than is safe.
P&G is also facing a lawsuit in Illinois, US, that alleges its Kid’s Crest toothpaste packaging promotes unsafe amounts of toothpaste for children. The lawsuit asserts multiple state consumer protection claims, including allegations of “false” advertising and “unfair” marketing practices.
“Misleading images that show excessive amounts of fluoride toothpaste put children’s health and brain development at risk. This settlement is an important step in ensuring that large corporations like P&G no longer engage in these deceptive practices,” says Paxton.
Kids and fluoride products
The Republican attorney general has aligned himself with the Make America Healthy Again movement, associated with US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy has openly opposed fluoride, discouraging its use in public water systems, calling the ingredient a “dangerous neurotoxin.”
In 2024, a meta-analysis from the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program indicated a “statistically significant” connection between fluoride exposure and decreased IQ scores in children.
However, the fluoride levels tested were higher than those used in the US, and the report
The update aims to reduce confusion about fluoride use for children. states: “There were insufficient data to determine if the low fluoride level of 0.7 mg/L currently recommended for US community water supplies has a negative effect on children’s IQ.”
Several meta-analyses specifically focusing on fluoride exposures at the levels typically used in public water systems have found no statistically significant association between fluoride at those lower concentrations and reduced IQ.
The American Dental Association supports the use of fluoride in toothpaste and water for cavity prevention. The association is a professional membership organization comprising mainly licensed US dentists, organized through local and state dental societies. Its policy positions reflect the consensus and priorities of dentistry, rather than those of a government regulatory or public health agency.
Last year, Colgate-Palmolive also agreed to change the packaging and marketing for its toothpaste products aimed at children after US Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called its fluoride advertising “misleading, deceptive, and dangerous.”
