Halloween Trick or Treat: Why Do Dentists Recommend Allowing Kids To Eat Candy This Season?

Trick or Treat! Halloween is here and kids will be around the neighborhood to collect candies as part of the tradition that was passed on from generation to generation. Although this has been the practice for many years, parents are still worried that consuming too many sweets and sugars on that day will cause tooth decay.

This led some parents to try healthier alternatives that may not be better than candies or diminish the vibe of the Halloween tradition despite dentists recommending letting kids have all the sweets they can eat during the holiday.

Let Your Kids Eat All the Candy This Halloween

Health experts say that there is no right or wrong amount of candy during Halloween, but parents should make sure that the candy is safe to eat. Primary care pediatrician Dr. Ben Levinson of the Nationwide Children's Hospital told USA TODAY that candies with holes in the packaging should be thrown away and not consumed, and parents should be aware of allergens that their kids might eat.

He added that he generally would tell families that most people can eat whatever they want in one day as it does not harm their health in the long run. However, too much sugar eaten every day could add up and cause an adverse effect on the body.

Registered dietician nutritionist Amy Reed said that there is an idea that parents should make Halloween treats healthy or not eat it all. But eating provides the body with energy, and the trick-or-treat tradition provides kids with memories, social connection, and sensory experiences. So, if kids eat healthy during the rest of the year, it should not have any negative effect on them when they eat candy this holiday.

According to a longevity study, titled "Estimates of the Heritability of Human Longevity Are Substantially Inflated due to Assortative Mating" published in the journal Genetics, human longevity at birth is only 7% and the rest 93% comes from lifestyle, decisions, habits, and even spending a happy hour.

As Inside Hook reported, the world's longest-living communities know how to celebrate. So during Halloween, it is acceptable to indulge in sugary confections without feeling bad about it, but just an understanding that it is okay to eat these holiday treats.

Tips to Protect Your Kid's Teeth This Halloween

Since Halloween is a time when kids and some adults binge on candies, there is also a possibility of having tooth decay. But Dr. Joel Berg, DDS, the Chief Dental Officer at Willo and former president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, listed some tips for parents to protect their kid's teeth while munching on those sweet candies without a large dental bill to follow.

• Skip the gummies, choose chocolates - Dr. Berg told USA TODAY that when eating candies this holiday, it is best to choose the least damaging to the teeth: chocolates. He explained that chocolate can melt and will not stick on the surfaces of the teeth.
• Eat all the candy in one sitting - Dr. Berg also recommends eating candy all at once than snacking throughout the day because the saliva that naturally counteracts the acid from eating sugar can have more time to remove the bacteria and need not constantly reset and rebalance pH.
• Brush these top five spots - Dr. Berg said that when brushing and flossing, it is important to brush the top five spots, including the inside of the mouth, the back molars, between the teeth, near and under the gums, and the inside of the front teeth on the bottom.
  

Check out more news and information on Halloween in Science Times.