Halloween and candy: two approaches
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- Published: Monday, 14 November 2016 11:49
- Written by News Editor
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Trick-or-treating will become a ‘Halloween horror’ for children unless parents take steps to protect their teeth, the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has warned. Across in the USA, however, dentists are taking part in the ‘Halloween Candy Buyback’ where dentists buy back sweets and donate them to their armed forces.
The Royal College of Surgeons has issued tips to ensure rotten smiles are just for Halloween. Professor Nigel Hunt, dean of the faculty of dental surgery, said: "We don't want to spoil the fun." But he said the state of children's teeth was a "national scandal" and added: "We want to help parents make sensible decisions about letting their children eat sweets at Halloween and all year round."
His tips include:
- If children are given sweets on Halloween they shouldn't eat them straightaway, but save them to have with a meal at home to reduce the impact on their teeth.
- If trick-or-treaters visit you over Halloween, consider giving out alternative treats to sweets such as stickers or balloons.
- Limit the number of sweets you give out to each child - think about only giving one or two rather than a whole bag.
- If the child is thirsty, make sure they do not have sugary drinks, water is better.
- Even though they may be tired, make sure children brush their teeth with fluoride toothpaste before going to bed.
Prof Hunt said: "Celebrating Halloween by trick-or-treating has become very popular in the UK in recent years. “As a parent myself, I know the delight children take in donning fancy dress and visiting the neighbours to collect as many sweet treats as they can carry. Unfortunately, those sweet treats can be a Halloween horror for kids' teeth, sugar is one of the biggest culprits for nasty tooth decay."
In the USA Halloween Candy Buyback is growing in popularity. Buybacks are held at local businesses, traditionally but not limited to dental offices, with the goal of removing excess Halloween candy from kids ‘while supporting our troops’. Participants buy back kids' Halloween candy at a scheduled event with cash, xylitol products, coupons, toothbrushes, creative exchanges. They can partner with local businesses to give away coupons for food, services, goods, etc.
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