Dubai: If your kids have made a killing with candies this Halloween and you have no idea what to do with the booty, here’s something that might interest you.
A dental chain in Dubai, keen to check the intake of sweets among children, has launched an initiative called Halloween Candy Buy Back Programme in which they can share their spoils with those who may have none.
Trick or treat
Dr Seema Vohra of the Clover Medical Centre in Bur Dubai said, “Children who go on their trick or treat rounds during Halloween invariably collect more sweets than they can handle. As a dental clinic, we feel it’s important to keep a check on the amount of sweets a child consumes, so we came up with this idea.”
She said the drive would be held till November 7 to allow children to deposit their excess sweets at any of the three branches of Clover Medical Centre at Bur Dubai, Barsha Heights or Al Nahda, following which they will be distributed among less privileged sections of society with due permission.
“We expect to have a surplus of 10-15kg of candies,” she said, adding that only unopened, unused supplies will be accepted. “We are careful about this. With Halloween coming soon after Diwali this year, many kids have been asking us if they can bring in Diwali sweets too. But we will not accept them as they have a limited shelf life.”
She said as a token of appreciation, the clinic will give certificates and goody bags with toys to kids who share their excess supplies. The aim is to educate children on the need to have a controlled sweet intake while encouraging them to reach out to others.
She said candies are bad for the teeth.
“In the West, it is common for dental professionals to launch awareness campaigns on oral health and dental hygiene ahead of Halloween to minimise the risk of tooth decay and damage. We wanted to do something similar as unchecked consumption of candy, chocolates and other sweets can cause toothaches, cavities, plaque etc,” she added.
