SALEM — Dr. Kevin Kelaher is putting his money where his mouth is.

It's no surprise that the Salem dentist is encouraging children to part with their Halloween candy — but making kids part with their treats is tricky, so he's sweetening the deal.

For every pound of candy kids relinquish, Kelaher's practice will give children a $5 gift card to McDonald's and donate $20 to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem.

"We just thought it would be good for kids to not eat all that candy," said Kelaher, who owns Highland Dental Group on Highland Avenue. "Hopefully, it will give them motivation not only to get something, but also to help other kids."

The dentist is calling it "Cash for Candy," and he hopes the first-time endeavor will prevent children from eating candy and getting tooth decay.

"It's all about prevention," said Kelaher, who lives in Salem. "If you prevent it, you don't have to fix it. It's a fairly simple idea."

Kelaher said he heard about the candy collection idea through the dentist grapevine and decided to give it a try.

"October is Dental Hygiene Month," Kelaher said. "It just kind of dawned on us that this would be a nice thing to do."

Kelaher and his wife, Debbie, who is the office manager at Highland Dental Group, haven't determined what to do with the candy; that will depend on the response they get. One option is to send it overseas to U.S. troops in the Middle East, he said.

In his 35 years practicing dentistry, Kelaher says children's dental health has improved — and Cash for Candy may help encourage that trend.

"Overall, children's decay has gone down dramatically," he said, "primarily because of fluoride. But parents are also more aware and apt to go to the dentist, so the idea of prevention is there."

Kelaher practiced dentistry in Lynn for many years, and in 2005 he moved his practice to Salem.

"This has been a tremendous move for us," he said. "In part, it's why we wanted to do something for Salem, because it's been great to us."

Cash for Candy

What: Turn in your Halloween candy.

How much: Bring in 1 pound of candy and receive a $5 gift card to McDonald's, and the dentist will donate $20 to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem.

Where: Highland Dental Group, 100 Highland Ave., Suite 103, Salem

When: Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.