A Bay of Plenty health official remains hopeful Tauranga City can break a 21-year drought and bring fluoride back to the city's water supply

Bay of Plenty District Health Board medical officer of health Neil de Wet says there is more than 60 years of scientific evidence showing water fluoridation is safe and effective in helping prevent tooth decay.

Bay of Plenty District Health Board medical officer of health Neil de Wet believes water fluoridation is ethically correct.

'Everyone benefits from water fluoridation especially children and those most at risk of poor oral health. Ethically it is the right thing to do,” says Neil.

'Our position has been in favour of fluoridation and its benefits in the community to oral health, so we always support any opportunity of fluoridation.”

Water fluoridation is when natural fluoride levels in the water supply are topped up just enough to protect teeth. The fluoridation helps protect teeth making them stronger while slowing down decay.

Whakatane District Council is holding a referendum in October asking the community whether they should continue to fluoridate water supplies; and if water supplies in other areas should be included. In the 2001 referendum, 68 per cent agreed to keep fluoridation in the two towns.

Currently, Whakatane and Ohope are the only areas in the Bay with fluoridated water. Water fluoridation was first introduced in Whakatane in 1972.

Neil says the BOPDHB strongly supports water fluoridation for helping protect and improve the oral health of people's natural teeth, particularly children and population groups most risk of dental decay.

Fluoride is naturally present in drinking water – but in most New Zealand water sources this is below the optimal level benefitting oral health.

The addition of fluoride to a level of 0.7 to 1 milligram per litre provides oral health benefits to all people with natural teeth, says Neil.

The comments come after Tauranga resident Ken Evans appealed for a change in fluoride levels, believing some Bay of Plenty areas are too high.

Ken, who led a petition in 1992 to remove fluoride from Tauranga's water, says the Bay of Plenty District Health Board should follow suit of a fluoridation policy in the United States attempting to reduce the risk of mild fluorosis.

In 1992 fluoride was removed from the city's water supply after 51.88 per cent of residents voted against fluoridation.

'I think there is a fair amount of scaremongering a foot. I think the important thing to note is that there is reliable information out there,” says Neil.

'It is important to us that the public can easily access accurate, credible information and scientific evidence on this topic.

'It's also the best way to make sure everyone's teeth get some protection, especially for our children.”

The BOPDHB's and Toi Te Ora Public Health Service's water fluoridation position statement says there is the potential to fluoridate the drinking water supplies for more than 80 per cent of the Bay of Plenty population.

The BOPDHB's community dental service sees approximately 35,000 children every year, who are aged from birth to 12 years old.

It says national data shows children living in areas with community water fluoridation have better oral health than those in un-fluoridated areas.