Halloween is celebrated traditionally every year on October 31. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween, according to the History Channel (https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween). Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating treats.
This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts who lived in Ireland two thousand years ago believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.
Halloween didn't get traction in America until the mid-19th century due to the Christian founding with Puritans and other religious sects, although the origins of trick or treating are not fully known. Today, however, Halloween is usually found to be largely a harmless time of children going door to door in neighborhoods, dressed in all manner of costumes, and asking for treats, typically buckets full of candy in pumpkin shaped plastic containers.
According to the Library of Congress, the act of going door-to-door for handouts has long been a part of Halloween revelries over the past century and a half. But until the mid-20th century, the “treats” children received were not necessarily candy. Things like fruit, nuts, coins, and toys were just as likely to be given out. Trick-or-treating rose in popularity in the 1950s and it inspired candy companies to market small, individually wrapped candies. People began to favor the confections out of convenience, but candy did not dominate at the exclusion of all other treats until the 1970s when parents started fearing anything unwrapped. (https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2021/10/the-origins-of-halloween-traditions/).
While some folks prefer to watch horror movies on the holiday, others prefer to tune in to some lighter programming, such as "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" to celebrate spooky season with Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang. First released in 1966, the holiday classic features Charlie Brown preparing for a party, Snoopy setting his sights on the Red Baron, and Linus patiently awaiting a pumpkin patch miracle. This delightful animated cartoon, created by Charles Schulz, featuring music by jazz musician Vince Guaraldi, is a favorite among Americans who enjoyed it not only when it came out originally in the 60's, but also today with a new generation watching this classic tale. In the feature, Charlie Brown and his friends dress in costume, going out trick or treating, and candy is distributed to all of them except for him. He gets rocks.
But with all that confection collection, as children will be on a mission to collect as many pieces of candy as they can, adults in their lives will spend part of their evening wondering just exactly how much dental damage Halloween candy can cause. Fortunately, experts from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Dentistry say that one night of a candy binge is nothing to worry about.
The truth is that dental decay is a chronic disease that happens over a long period of time, partially as a result of constant exposure to sugary treats. A pack or two of sour gummies or a few pieces of hard candy on Halloween alone is not going to cause long-term problems. After Halloween, children should return to their normal dental routine, including brushing twice a day, flossing, maintaining a healthy diet and regularly visiting their dentists. (https://www.uab.edu/news/youcanuse/item/12399-how-much-dental-damage-can-halloween-candy-do).
For many families, Halloween means bags of free candy and a chance to stockpile sweets for the winter. But this sugar-powered holiday can also trigger concerns about children’s dental health. How can you let your kids enjoy Halloween while preventing cavities later on? Here are 7 healthy tips for Halloween and all year long, according to the American Dental Association (https://www.mouthhealthy.org/all-topics-a-z/halloween-candy-survival-guide):
-- Enjoy candy treats with meals.
-- Don't snack on sugar.
-- Skip sticky candy.
-- Chocolate is fine in moderation.
-- Don't stash candy long term.
-- Chew sugar free gum.
-- Give away fun non-candy treats on Halloween.
Though candy is plentiful, you don't have to let the threat of tummy aches and cavities ruin Halloween, according to Colgate (https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/special-occasions/oral-care-tips-for-healthy-halloween-candy). With some extra diligence and a few ground rules, you can make the holiday fun and healthy for the whole family.
Inspect the loot. When your child returns from trick-or-treating or a Halloween party, make sure you get a first look at the haul. Give them a piece or two to enjoy while you check their bag for tampered wrappers, potential allergens, or choking hazards.
Limit candy consumption. Ask your child to help you sort the sweets into piles based on type: chocolate, gummies, and hard candy. Then use small baggies to create candy rations, including one piece from each pile. You can make a rule about how often your child enjoys a treat—like once or twice a week. Make sure to store the candy out of sight.
Make snacking healthier. When it's time to indulge, permit candy consumption only at mealtime when extra saliva production helps to rinse food particles from teeth. Hard fruits and vegetables can also help dislodge any sticky treats from crevices in the teeth. When eating candies, have your child drink a bottle of water to help periodically rinse the sugar from their teeth.
Propose a trade. If your child collected more candy than they'll ever be able to eat, offer to make a few trades. Let the child use the candy to "buy" other items, such as movie tickets or a new toy. You might even have some smaller items available on Halloween night to help take the attention off the giant bag of candy.
Prioritize oral health. Proper brushing with toothpaste is essential to preventing tooth decay, so getting your child into the habit is vital. Help your child correctly brush their teeth at the end of each day to remove sugary build-up. Also, practice interdental cleaning to remove any candy debris that might be stuck between teeth.
The University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine (https://news.cuanschutz.edu/dental/halloween-candy-tips-for-your-teeth) provides some additional tips for post-Halloween dental care:
-- Drink lots of water to wash away sugar buildup while eating candy.
-- Eat dinner before trick-or-treating. If you're full from a healthy meal, you’ll be less likely to indulge in too much candy later.
-- Brush and floss! This may seem like common sense, but it is especially important after eating sweet treats.
Unfortunately, there still remains a huge gap in dental coverage for Americans. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), The nation’s oral health has greatly improved since the 1960s, but not all Americans have had equal opportunity to experience similar improvements in oral health. Poor oral health among some groups of people is partly due to health disparities. Health disparities can be described as preventable differences in disease impact or opportunities in a population due to some type of disadvantage, such as limited access to services where they live or ability to afford health care services. (https://www.cdc.gov/oral-health/health-equity/index.html).
For example:
As of 2024, approximately 57 million Americans live in a dental health professional shortage area and about 67% of those shortage areas are in rural communities.
From 2016 to 2021, there has been about a 10% decrease in the percentage of low-income children and adolescents (aged 1–17) who had a past-year dental visit to get preventive dental care.
About 77 million people do not have dental insurance.
There are many affordable dental plans in the market today, and although dental care is expensive, it pays to have coverage in place to mitigate the costs of going to the dentist, especially for preventive dentistry such as cleanings and exams at least once a year. You can visit this website to see many dental plans: https://www.careingdentalgroup.com/choose-your-dental-plan.
If you have dental insurance or a dental discount plan, use it. Help reduce your risk for overall health problems by getting proper care with your dentist. If you don't have an individual plan or dental insurance through your employer, contact me to talk about how you care get the dental care you need.
Commentaires