Overdose --- on Toothpaste?

I had heard of toothpaste poisoning, but was never too concerned about it. It's not like I eat the stuff for breakfast.

But I watched recent TV ads showing a l-o-n-g toothbrush head loaded with a pretty ribbon of toothpaste. Could that be flavored for kids? Then I watched my elderly mother load up her brush like it was a snack. I knocked some of the excess off into the sink before she put the brush in her mouth.

It occurred to me that I'd better check this out. I visited the government-backed site of the National Institute of Medicine.

Although a toothpaste overdose is not likely, if a couple kids - even college-aged -- decided to have a toothpaste contest, someone could end up very sick.

Here are some facts. The "poisonous ingredients" in toothpaste are sodium fluoride and triclosan.

Symptoms: Most non-fluoride toothpastes are safe, although "swallowing a large amount of regular toothpaste may cause stomach pain and possible intestinal blockage."

The real problems occur with fluoride-toothpastes. Swallowing the stuff in large amounts can cause convulsions, diarrhea, difficulty in breathing, drooling, heart attack, a salty or soapy taste in the mouth, slow heart rate, shock, tremors, vomiting, and/or weakness.

As usual, seek medical help for symptoms. Do not make the person vomit unless that's recommended by a poison control center.

Do give the patient water or milk, but not if the patient is vomiting, convulsing, or is at the point of decreased alertness that might make it hard to swallow.

Poison Control Hotline: Before calling the free and confidential National Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 for immediate advice, have some basic information ready: 1) The patient's age, weight and condition; 2) the product's name, ingredients and strength - if known; 3) the time of ingestion; and 4) the amount swallowed. (You can call this number 24/7 for free information about poison prevention, also.)

Usually, the person can be treated at home, but if the patient has swallowed more than a tube of fluoride toothpaste (hope that's more than a trial size?!), he might need to go to the emergency room.

Expected treatment in the ER:

Of course, the person's vital signs will be monitored and blood and urine tests will be done.

Other ER treatments may include 1) giving the patient a dose of calcium medicine to reverse the effect of the poison;

2) putting a camera down the throat to see if there are esophageal burns (endoscopy);

3) IV fluids;

4) other medications to treat specific symptoms;

5) and/or gastric lavage, which means putting a tube through the mouth to the stomach to wash out the contents.

So, if you're thinking about having an all-you-can-toothpaste-contest or have a practical joker around who thinks feeding someone a toothpaste sandwich is a fun idea, think again.

Although recovery is "very likely" for regular toothpaste and most swallowers of fluoride toothpaste "usually recover," it doesn't sound like a fun thing at all.

Source:
Medline Plus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health. "Toothpaste Overdose," MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002745.htm. Updated 7-20-09 by Jacob L. Heller, M.D., Emergency Medicine, and reviewed by David Zieve, M.D., Medical Director of A.D.A.M., the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission.