Looking for a really frightening costume to wear for Halloween or this year? How about dressing up as a piece of sour acid candy,which attack teeth like Freddy Kreuger goes after his victims?

While this generation of candy is highly popular, most contains acid levels so hight that it approaches the ph level of battery acid, according to the California Dental Hygienists’ Association (CDHA), which today issued a statewide warning to parents about the dangers of sour candy.

This Halloween, we are advising adults to think twice about buying sour candies for trick or treaters, said Erika Felthma, A a Registered Dental Hygienists and CDHA member who has studied this issue for more than a decade. We are also encouraging parents to comb through their child’s bag at the end f the night to remove sour candied and replace them with a small piece of non-sour sugarless candy or gum.

Sour candy comes in dozens of varieties and forms including hard, soft, chewy, gummy, gels, liquid sprays, crystals, foam sprays, powders, cotton candy and chewing gums. Most people think this type of candy is safer because it is less sugar, said Feltham, but they don’t know the acid content is towards the end of acidic spectrum.

“It is not at all surprising that the candy is the contributing factor to acid erosion”. she said. “with repeated exposure and frequency, sour candy can also lead to a host of oral health problems including increased cavities, tooth sensitivity, staining, soft-tissue sensitivity and lost of shine.

Because of this, CDHA is offering the following tips for Halloween:

• Avoid, limit or seriously reconsider choosing or eating candy labeled “sour or tart”;
• Remember that “sour” means “acid” which is bad for teeth;
• Look for the following acids on the back label of the ingredients and avoid them: citric, lactic, malic, tartaric, fumaric, adipic, ascorbic;
• Don’t be fooled by “concentrated fruit juice extracts” , which is a code phrase for ingredients that can be highly acidic;
• If you choose to consume sour candies, rinse your mouth with water immediately afterwards to reduce the damaging effects from the acids;
• DO NOT brush your teeth directly after eating sour candy as the toothbrush or toothpaste are abrasive. This will scratch and will remove more of the already softened enamel.

“Most consumers and even dental professionals are so focused on eliminating sugar that they haven’t paid attention to the nrewer and more serious candy ingredients containing multiple acids,” said Feltham, who believes the problem is so bad that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) should require warnings on all sour acid candies.

“These acids are what make the sour candies so tart appealing”, she said “but what makes teeth more susceptible to oral diseases.”

Media Contact :Stevan Allen (916) 448-1336

California Dental Hygienists’ Association (CDHA) is the authoritative voice of the state’s dental hygiene profession. The organization was established 20 years ago when two regional associations merged to form a unified professional group. CDHA represents thousands of dental hygienists throughout the state and is dedicated to expanding opportunities for the profession and access to care for all Californians.