Flouride in New Zealand Waters

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             In certain countries fluoride is naturally lacking from water and/or minerals in the soil. New Zealand has been viewed as having very poor overall dental health and according to the Ministry of Health and World Health Organisation, " New Zealand is in the middle of the table, but its children's teeth are less healthy than those in the United States, Australia or the United Kingdom". Surveys over the last year have taken place and have shown that only 43% of children brush their teeth twice daily with the recommended strength fluoride toothpaste. A census carried throughout New Zealand from february to December 2009 was taken to see exactly what state the populations teeth were in. This research found that dental decay remained New Zealands most chronic and irreversible disease, with one in three adults having untreated tooth decay. The study also found that one in two children aged between 2–17 years had decaying teeth. As discussed earlier one of the main reason for tooth decay is the amount of sugar intake being larger than the nutrient intake. In supermarkets there is a large array of unhealthy and sugary drinks and foods, which because of their popularity have become cheaper to purchase than healthy products, such as vegetables and water. As the government can not control what the population buys, they decided to boost the fluoride intake in many New Zealanders especially young children. They did this by adding a chemical (fluoride) into the drinking water to cancel out the sugar intake. For the past 60 years the government has added artificial fluoride to the drinking water. This has become very controversial, dividing the country into two sides; pro fluoride and anti fluoride. .
             A group in favour of fluoridation of drinking water is The Ministry of Health. They believe that fluoridated water has a positive impact on society. Their view is that fluoride benefits children, adolescents and adults, as it makes their teeth more resistant to decay whilst interfering with the growth of bacteria which cause the cavities in the first place.