Dentist doles out dollars for kids' Halloween candy

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - Corvallis dentist Kurt Black is offering children a healthy alternative to Halloween candy.

He will open his office at Professional Drive from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow, for the annual event Dollars, Not Decay.

For every pound of Halloween candy that children bring to Black's office the afternoon following Halloween, they will receive $1 (rounded to the nearest pound) and a free toothbrush.

By offering cash for candy, Black provides children an alternative to consuming large amounts of candy over a long period of time. That, Black says, is the perfect environment for tooth decay and obesity.

Last year, Black collected more than 200 pounds of candy.

His office also will provide a matching donation to the Gavin Milligan fund, arranged for a Crescent Valley High School student who has Hodgkin's lymphoma.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)