Sept 15 (Reuters) - Colgate-Palmolive ( CL ) will

introduce new packaging and marketing for its toothpaste

products, after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton expressed

concern that its marketing of fluoride could harm parents and

children.

Paxton said on Monday that beginning on November 1, Colgate

will depict "safe, age-appropriate amounts of toothpaste" for

children under six for its Colgate, Tom's of Maine and hello

brands of toothpaste, consistent with the labels' instructions.

These depictions will include "pea-sized" amounts of

toothpaste, rather than larger amounts or swirls, when Colgate

uses an image of toothpaste atop a toothbrush, Paxton said.

The changes will appear online first, and on store shelves

later, Paxton said.

In May, Paxton issued civil investigative demands to Colgate and

Procter & Gamble ( PG ), which makes Crest, claiming that their

marketing causes parents to give children unhealthy doses of

fluoride. The Procter & Gamble ( PG ) case remains open.

Paxton, a Republican, said Colgate's agreement advances his

work to Make America Healthy Again, a movement associated with

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

While the movement draws support from opponents of too much

regulation as well as people concerned about disease and other

threats, critics say some elements could roll back healthcare

advances built over decades.

Colgate, based in New York, did not immediately respond to

requests for comment. Procter & Gamble ( PG ) did not immediately

respond to similar requests. Paxton's office did not immediately

respond to a request for additional comment.

Fluoride strengthens tooth enamel and helps prevent cavities,

and the American Dental Association supports fluoridation of

toothpaste and drinking water.

A study published in January in the journal JAMA Pediatrics

linked higher fluoride exposures in children to lower IQ scores.

The research, however, was criticized in an accompanying

editorial by a professor of preventive and community dentistry

at the University of Iowa, who outlined flaws in its analysis

and warned against changing public policy concerning fluoride

based on its findings.

Kennedy opposes adding fluoride to public water systems, and

without conclusive evidence has linked current U.S. fluoridation

levels to health problems including cancer.

Paxton is running for the U.S. Senate in 2026, and trying to

unseat Republican incumbent John Cornyn.