With Halloween falling on a Monday this year, anxious trick or treaters likely spent the weekend putting the finishing touches on their costumes, eagerly anticipating the candy-collecting to come. Many no doubt fell asleep dreaming of knocking on neighborhood doors where they’re greeted with huge bowls of candy and assorted sugary treats.
This quintessential childhood dream is often a dentist’s nightmare, and they’ve got some spooky scientific evidence to support their fears.
A Surgeon General’s report estimated that 51 million hours of school time are lost each year to problems related to tooth decay — as dental disease continues to top the list of chronic diseases in young children.
Surprisingly, when it comes to the consumption of Halloween candy, the dental community is decidedly divided.
In one camp are dentists who actually support a “binge” approach. They believe that parents should let their munchkins eat as much as they want in a one-time candy frenzy followed by a brush-like-crazy marathon. These dentists think that a “dole it out slowly” strategy just prolongs the amount of time damaging sugar sits on teeth.
Other dentists support a more practical approach, suggesting parents allow their children to eat small amounts of candy periodically. They even propose chocolate as a good alternative to stickier items such as taffy, lollipops or caramels.
Finally, there are dentists like Dr. Jason Bourne of Bourne Orthodontics of Marysville and Lake Stevens who put their money where their mouth is paying kids willing to forego their sugary bounty. Dr. Bourne not only compensates trick-or-treaters at $2 per pound for their candy, he donates an equal amount to local charities. The money helps support worthy local causes and the treats are packaged and shipped to military personnel stationed overseas.
Their strategies for dealing with Halloween candy may differ, but dentists seem to agree on several key things in support of children’s dental health:
•Trick or treaters should always eat a nourishing dinner before they head out.
Parents shouldn’t allow unsupervised grazing or unlimited access to candy.
There’s no substitute for a thorough session of flossing and brushing after eating any sugary treat, any time of the day. No one wants to be a party-pooper, or the parent who passes out toothbrushes instead of Halloween candy, but the alarming rate of preventable tooth decay in children is far too frightening to ignore.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
