From what age should children brush their teeth?
As soon as the first tooth has come through, brushing and dental care should begin.
The answer is simpler than many think: as soon as the first tooth is visible. And strictly speaking even before that – the gum ridge can be gently massaged with a soft children's brush long before there is anything to brush.
That has less to do with cleaning than with getting used to it. A child who knows the brush from the outset resists it less often later on.
Why so early
Sugar is in much of what small children drink – in juice and sweetened tea as well. The bacteria in the mouth turn it into acid, and the still-soft enamel of milk teeth withstands that less well than permanent enamel.
Well-kept milk teeth are also the template for the permanent dentition: they hold the space and guide the teeth coming up behind. Anyone who learned as a child how dental care works usually keeps the habit for life.