The Scariest Thing This Halloween: Sour Acid Candy

According to Erika B. Feltham, a registered dental hygienist, today’s sour candy contains acid levels approaching the levels of battery acid.

She’s studied and researched this destructive candy’s effect for over 10 years. “It is a growing problem and I see it on a daily basis in the dental office I work in,” she explained.

“This Halloween, we are advising adults to think twice about buying sour candies for trick-or-treaters. We are also encouraging parents to comb through their child’s bag at the end of the night to remove sour acid candies and replace them with a small piece of non-sour, sugarless candy or gum.” This past spring, Erika appeared on my cable show, Inside The Inland Valley and gave me a better understanding of the acid levels in candies that are sold in a wide variety of stores across the country.

I was, honestly, overwhelmed by the scary comparison of the acids used to make candy tart and sour and the acid used in car batteries. 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.

According to Erika, most people think this type of candy is safer because it has less sugar . . . but they don’t know that the acid content is towards the extreme end of the acidic spectrum. “It is not at all surprising that this candy is a 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 sensitivities and loss of shine.”

Because of this, the California Dental Hygenists' Association (CDHA) is offering the following tips for this 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 ingredients and avoid them citric, lactic, malic, tartaric, fumaric, adipic and 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 and toothpaste are abrasive. This will scratch and will remove more of the already softened enamel.

“Most consumers and even many dental professionals are so focused on eliminating sugar, that they haven’t paid attention to the newer 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 and appealing,” she said, “but also what makes teeth more susceptible to oral diseases.”

Photo Credit: http://www.consumerist.com/