The case to keep fluoride out of Tauranga's water supplies has been strengthened by the Bay of Plenty District Health Board's latest statistics on tooth decay in children, a leading city anti-fluoride campaigner says.
Ken Evans has obtained information from the board that compared 5-year-olds from fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities. It showed children living in non-fluoridated areas had better teeth in eight out of 10 years.
Whakatane and Ohope were the only towns to still have fluoride in their water supply in the coastal Bay of Plenty area covered by the board.
The survey showed that the percentage of 5-year-old children without cavities was higher in non-fluoridated areas than fluoridated areas for eight of the 10 years to 2011.
The result was not clear cut for Year 8 children aged 12 to 13. The percentage of filling-free children living in non-fluoridated areas was higher for five of the 10 years.