Washington and Oregon’s Most Dangerous Halloween Candy

Parents are always on the lookout for issues with the Halloween candy their kids bring home.  Razor Blades seem to be the most concerning thing to find because, well...they've been found in candy.

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Each year another set of scares seem to present themselves to society, which is why it is always a good idea to check your kids haul before they dive in.  Not all of the dangers presented are found IN candy, but could be the candy itself.

How is Halloween Candy Dangerous?

Believe it or not, 35% of Americans have damaged their teeth on Halloween candy resulting in over $538 on average being spent to fix their chompers.

The following have been determined to be the most dangerous candies for your, and your kids, teeth.

5. Tootsie Roll

The original Tootsie Roll was invented in 1907 in Chicago, Illinois and has similarities to taffy and caramel without being either one.  The first individually wrapped penny candy in U.S history has a chocolate-like taste and has spawned a number of different flavors over the years.  The Tootsie Roll jingle became buried in every kids head in the mid 1970s.

4. Starburst

The taffy-esque Starburst were created in the United Kingdom in 1960 by Peter Pfeffer.  They were first introduced as Opal Fruits by The Wrigley Company.  When they came to the US seven years later, they were labeled as M&M Fruit Chewies before adopting the Starburst name they have gone by ever since.

3. Bit-O-Honey

The 99 year old American made candy has been made the same way from day one.  Bits of almond are mixed in with real honey flavored taffy that takes seemingly forever to chew.  I am a big fan of this candy, but remember it being notoriously tough on the teeth.

2. Jolly Rancher

The Colorado created hard candy came to be in 1950.  It became so popular as an addition to the Jolly Rancher Ice Cream Store that it spawned an expansion of the company and the hard candy line.  A Jolly Rancher by definition is:

"A sweet hard candy, mostly defined by fruity flavors made of amorphous solids and formed from highly concentrated sugar solutions giving them a crystallized, glassy appearance. "

...and tough on the teeth.

1. Jawbreakers or Gobstoppers

If there is one candy you don't want to bite...it's a jawbreaker.  Created in the UK and known there as 'Gobstoppers', these harder than hard candies are layers of liquid sugar.  They also top the list of candies that people loved as kids but won't eat as adults.  It is strongly advised to not bite a jawbreaker until it is very small and soft otherwise....the name says it all.

For the rest of the top 10 dangerous candies, click here.