Majority of Dentists Give Candy on Halloween

610px-Jack-o'-Lantern_2003-10-31What’s a dentist to do when Trick or Treaters come knocking?

Most take the easy way out, according to a Delta Dental survey. Of 250 dentists polled, 60 percent hand out candy, while only five percent risk children’s wrath with a toothbrush giveaway.

Of candy-dispensing dentists, nearly 80 percent chose chocolate, presumably because it’s less damaging than chewy sweets like taffy and hard candy, which stick to teeth and breed more bacteria than faster-dissolving treats.

Still, 13 percent of dentists confessed to handing out lollipops and other plaque-accelerating candy. We’ll assume they weren’t trying to drum up more business.