Inconsistencies in recommendations on oral hygiene practices for children by professional dental and paediatric organisations in ten countries.

Background: Some of the basic dental health practices that are recommended to the public by professionals are not evidence based. Incorrect oral health messages may adversely affect children's oral health behaviours.

Aim: To identify and list the recommendations concerning children's oral hygiene practices provided by dental and paediatric organisations, and to assess how these recommendations relate to the scientific evidence currently available.

Design: Cross-sectional. The authors contacted professional organisations in ten countries requesting items (brochures, leaflets or folders) containing messages on children's oral hygiene practices. They then listed these recommendations and assessed how they related to scientific evidence obtained from systematic reviews available at PubMed and the Cochrane Library.

Results: Fifty-two of 59 (88%) organisations responded to our request and 24 dental health education materials were submitted to the authors. They mentioned recommendations on oral hygiene practices for children, such as toothbrushing frequency, supervision and technique; when to start and how long toothbrushing should last; toothbrush design and replacement; flossing; gums/teeth wiping; tongue cleaning; type and amount of toothpaste and advice on toothpaste ingestion. The search at PubMed and the Cochrane Library resulted in 11 systematic reviews addressing these topics.

Conclusions: Several oral hygiene messages delivered by professional organisations showed inconsistencies and lacked scientific support.