It may sound reasonable, but an analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, which included regular intelligence testing and assessment of children's academic performance, found that while duller parents make large families, large families do not make duller children. The gap in average IQ between mothers of one child and mothers of five children was 20 percent, the researchers discovered. Family environment, parental intelligence and genetics are far more influential than family size when it comes to children's IQs, the authors conclude. A Connecticut dental researcher is warning parents that exposing their children's baby teeth to too much fluoride can lead to increased risk of enamel fluorosis once the permanent teeth erupt. With enamel fluorosis, the natural ceramic cover of the teeth develops white lines, streaks, spots, plaques or brown stains.
Severe cases can lead to the breakdown of enamel and the weakening of bone and tooth structure.
David Pendrys, an oral epidemiologist at the University of Connecticut Health Center, found that brushing habits or excessive fluoride supplementation in early childhood seemed related to the development of enamel fluorosis in 663 children aged 10 to 14. Pendrys acknowledges the benefits of fluoride in preventing tooth decay. Pendrys says parents should make sure preschoolers use only a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Avoid toothpastes with special flavors, he says, as they can encourage overuse. Parents should also encourage their child to spit out the toothpaste.