It only takes one celeb to share an image of them planting a smacker on their kid's lips for the old debate about whether it's OK to rear its head.

David Beckham , Katie Price and Olivia Wilde are just three of the mums and dads who've come under fire for giving their child a parental peck on the lips.

The most common grievance argues that this is ‘inappropriate’ and ‘gross’.

Now the argument has strayed into health risk territory, with one dentist weighing in with professional concerns about kissing your kid on the lips Specifically if their teeth haven't developed yet, reports the Mirror.

According to Dr Richard Marques, celebrity dentist at Wimpole Street Dental , baby teeth aren't able to fight the effects of damaging bacteria, making them more vulnerable to infection.

Dr Marques told the Independent : ‘Baby teeth have a different type of enamel and dentine to adult teeth.

‘The enamel is much thinner on baby teeth. It is not as strong as adult enamel so is more likely to decay.’

Parents, he warns, should be mindful of saliva transfer from them to their little ones ‘as this can spread bacteria (such as streptococcus mutans) from adult to child.

‘This bacteria can cause decay of baby teeth.

‘It can even affect the soft tissues and gums before the baby teeth have developed!’

According to Dr Marques, the nasties kids can catch from us include the cold or flu and viruses such as cold sore s, which are caused by the herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1).

He also advises mums and dads try not to share cutlery with their child, blow on their food or kiss them on the lips.

‘Take your child to the dentist regularly (they can go to the dentist as early as six months when the first tooth comes through),’ he adds.

‘By age two to three they should be attending the dentist every six months to check for cavities (and check how well their teeth are developing!).’