title: Children's Toothbrushing Practices Recommended on the Internet by Pediatric Dentistry Associations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to describe online recommendations by North and South American National Associations of Pediatric Dentistry (NAPD), intended for laypersons, concerning children's toothbrushing practices.
  
  
  METHODS
  In February 2015, the International Association of Pediatric Dentistry (IAPD) website and the Latin American Association of Pediatric Dentistry (ALOP) Facebook webpage were searched to identify which countries had NAPD. Attempts were made to obtain the electronic addresses of ALOP national member societies, and Google and Facebook were used to identify NAPD not found using the previous strategies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 35 countries in North and South America, 19 had NAPD that were shown on the Internet, and 11 of them provided data for the study. All NAPD gave advice on fluoride concentrations in toothpaste and when to start toothbrushing; most made recommendations on the amount of toothpaste, toothbrushing frequency, and when to brush, and a few gave advice on toothbrushing supervision and rinsing after toothbrushing. There was no consensus on most of the recommendations that were evaluated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Only a few National Associations of Pediatric Dentistry from the Americas provide online information for parents and laypersons concerning children's toothbrushing practices. Of the information provided, some are either controversial, outdated or lack scientific evidence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Preventive Dentistry, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. branca@uerj.br.
authors.forename: Branca Heloisa
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Pediatric Dentistry, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Barbara Monteiro
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Grisolia
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Preventive Dentistry, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula Pires
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Dos Santos
mesh_terms: D000569:Americas; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D020375:Education, Distance; D005459:Fluorides / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006267:Health Education, Dental / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D020407:Internet; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education; D010377:Pediatric Dentistry / Q000458:organization & administration; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000379:methods*; D014100:Toothpastes / Q000737:chemistry; D064878:Web Browser
chemical_list: D014100:Toothpastes; D005459:Fluorides