萬聖節的糖果學問 口腔健康與糖果兼得

There are lots of candy options for Halloween, but which ones cause less harm for children's teeth? As parents, it's normal to worry about which treats to keep and let our children eat after Halloween night. Also, when distributing candy to next-door children, a selection can be made to choose the healthiest ones.
有很多不同種類的萬聖節糖果可以供我們選擇，但是哪一種纔是對孩紙們的牙齒傷害最少的呢？作爲父母，擔心到底要挑哪種糖給孩子們在萬聖節晚上之後吃是很正常的。同時，當給鄰家小孩分糖的時候，也應該選擇最健康的那種。

Halloween is a very fun party for adults and for children as it's an opportunity to dress up with costumes and put lights and decorations to entertain the neighbours. But we want to make sure that all the candy accumulation and consumption will not create regretful cavities.
萬聖節是大人和小孩的狂歡節，因爲那是一個鮮有的機會可以穿奇裝異服和掛起彩燈和裝飾來娛樂鄰居。但是我們要確定，堆積和消費掉的糖果將來不會導致令人遺憾的蛀牙。

When considering dental health, treats can be classified in different categories whether they are good or not so good.
當考慮到牙齒健康時，糖果根據其好與不好能夠分成幾類。

Bad treats
壞糖果

Sticky candies are the worse for teeth. After they are chewed, remaining pieces stick to teeth and they are not cleaned automatically by saliva flow. This increases the contact time between sugar and teeth, creating a perfect environment for cavities to develop.
牛皮糖對牙齒是很不好的。當它們被咀嚼後，剩餘的小殘渣會粘在牙齒上，它們也不會因爲唾液的流動而自動被清理。這會增加糖和牙齒接觸的時間，創造了滋生蛀牙的完美環境。

Dried fruits are like sticky candy. Don't get fooled by the fact that they are fruit as companies add sugar to make them tastier. Also they are very sticky and increase the contact time of sugar with teeth crevices, and therefore increasing the cavity risk.
乾的水果糖和牛皮軟糖類似。不要以爲它們是水果做的，因爲生產商們爲了讓它們更好吃而往裏面加了糖。同時，它們也具有很大粘性，也會增加糖和牙齒縫接觸的時間，所以它們也增加了患蛀牙的風險。

Sour candies are very acidic and make it easy for tooth enamel to break up. They act like soft drinks and energy beverages. After consumption of highly acidic candy, saliva slowly restores the acid balance in the mouth. It is therefore recommended to brush your teeth only 30 minutes after eating those candies in order not to brush away enamel.
酸的糖果具有很強酸性，會很容易損傷牙齒的牙釉質。它們就像軟性飲料和能量飲料一樣。在吃了很多酸性糖果以後，唾液會在口腔裏慢慢平衡酸鹼環境。爲了不要刷傷牙釉質，建議你在吃完酸性糖果以後的30分鐘內刷牙。

Sugary snacks like candy corn, granola bars, cookies and cake all have high concentrations of sugar and can cause tooth decay.
像玉米糖、麥片糖卷、曲奇餅、蛋糕等具有高濃度糖的零食都會導致蛀牙。

Acceptable treats
可以接受的糖果

Sugar-free candies do not contain sugar therefore bacteria cannot use them to initiate cavity. Also consuming them stimulates the production of saliva, which is a natural but incomplete mouth cleaner.
無糖的糖果不含糖，因此細菌不能利用它們造成蛀牙。同時，在吃它們的時候，會刺激唾液分泌，這是一種天然但是不完全的口腔清潔。

Hard candies also stimulate saliva production and they do not stick to teeth. But it's important to remember that they have good amounts of cavity causing sugars.
硬糖果也會促進唾液分泌，而且不粘牙。但重要的是要記住，它們含有很多會導致蛀牙的糖分。

Cheese sticks, or any kind of cheese has basic properties (bases being opposites of acids), which neutralizes acidic foods in the mouth, making it harder for cavity to start.
芝士棒，或任何一種芝士，都具有基本的特徵含鹼性物質（與酸性的相反），它會中和口中酸性的食物，讓蛀牙更難發生。

Sugar-free gum stimulates saliva flow and, like sugar-free candies, offers a good but not complete cleaning of teeth. Sugar-free gum and sugar-free candy that contain xylitol are even better because this artificial sugar slows down the metabolism of cavity-causing bacteria. Remember that chewing sugar-free gum is not recommended for more than 15-20 minutes or it can harm the jaw.
無糖口香糖刺激唾液的分泌，就像無糖糖果一樣，爲牙齒提供了一次天然但不完全的清潔。包含了木糖醇的無糖口香糖和無糖糖果甚至會更好，因爲這種人工糖分減慢了會導致蛀牙的細菌的代謝。記住，咀嚼無糖口香糖的時間不建議超過15至20分鐘，否則可能會傷害到下巴。

Dark chocolate does contain sugar but its cariogenic effect is less harmful to teeth because the chocolate dissolves rapidly and doesn't stick. According to some studies, dark chocolate is an antioxidant and can be good for the heart and may even lower blood pressure.
黑巧克力含糖，但是它的蛀牙效應更小，因爲巧克力會迅速溶解並且不粘牙。根據一些學術研究，黑巧克力是一種抗氧化劑，對於心臟有好處，甚至可以減低血壓。

Good treats
不錯的款待物品

Not all treats should be eatable. Parents could consider giving out non-candy treats like glow sticks, temporary tattoos, sticky hands, play dough , stickers or quarters.
不是所有的萬聖節款待物品都要是吃的。父母可以考慮給些非糖的玩具，像發光棒，臨時紋身，粘手玩具，玩麪糰，貼紙或25分的硬幣(美國或加拿大用quarter表示25分) 之類的。

Other considerations
其他可考慮的選擇

As much as parents care for their children's teeth, Halloween is still a fun party and nobody should be denied that experience. Deprivation can send an entire wrong message and make candy seem even more irresistible . Children may end up sneaking sweets or eating too much candy once they're out on their own. Instead, parents should let children live the joy of Halloween including the experience of going to a party or trick-or-treating.
儘管父母們很在意孩紙們的牙齒健康，萬聖節依舊是一個歡樂的派對，每個人都難以拒絕這種體驗。一味剝奪享用糖果的權利，可能會傳遞一個錯誤的信息，使糖果看上起更加不可拒絕。最終會導致孩子們一旦自己出去，就會偷偷把糖果藏起來，或者吃太多糖果。相反，父母應該讓孩子們享受萬聖節的樂趣，這也包括去一個派對或者玩“不給糖果就搗亂”的遊戲。

After Halloween night is over, there are ways of organizing how treats are managed. Eating extra treats should be limited to once a day. Also, eating candy should not be lingered over too long as to minimize the time that teeth are exposed to sugars and acids.
在萬聖節夜結束以後，有幾種方法可以管理剩下來的糖。吃額外的糖果應該限制在一天一次。同時，吃糖時不要長時間把糖含在嘴裏，以儘量減少糖和酸與牙齒接觸的時間。

Children should learn that eating sweets is not an all-day feast and moderation is key. Also when knowing they have a specific treat time can help make children less inclined to think about eating sweets at other times of the day.
孩子們應該學會，不應該整天都吃糖，自我節制是其中的關鍵。同時，當知道有一個特殊的糖果時間可以吃糖，孩子們在一天之中的其他時間就不會總在想着要吃糖。