Calgarians largely in favour of adding fluoride back into water: poll

CALGARY – Over two-thirds of Calgarians plan to vote in favour of adding fluoride back into the city’s water supply in an upcoming plebiscite, a new poll indicates.

The survey from ThinkHQ shows 68 per cent of people polled plan to vote to reintroduce the substance in October’s plebiscite.

Twenty-one per cent said they’ll be voting against adding fluoride, with 11 per cent of people poled still undecided on the matter.

On a decided vote basis, the results are 76 per cent in favour of reintroducing fluoride to the water and 24 per cent opposed.

“Putting aside the public health debate, fluoridation is the ‘Bad Penny’ of Calgary municipal politics. This issue just seems to constantly reappear. We’ve held six plebiscites on the matter since the 1950s, and a decade after council chose to remove fluoride, its back again,” said ThinkHQ’s President, Marc Henry.

RELATED: Council votes to hold plebiscite on reintroducing fluoride in water

“It’s a popular measure with Calgary voters. The plebiscite should pass by a very healthy margin, with support 3:1 over opposition. If it does pass by that wide a margin, perhaps Calgary voters can have some solace in knowing they may not have to deal with the issue again for a decade or two.”

People with kids at home were more likely to say they will be voting in favour, with conservative-leaning voters tending to say they’d vote against.

In a fluoride education campaign, Alberta Health Services (AHS) says that although there is fluoride in all freshwater, community water fluoridation is necessary to adjust the fluoride level in the public water supply to the recommended level in order to prevent tooth decay.

RELATED:

• AHS launches public education campaign on fluoride benefits

• Fluoride in drinking water benefits children’s dental health: U of C study

Alberta continues to struggle with tooth decay in children and adults, and AHS says it’s preventable, especially for people who don’t have access to dental care. AHS also says community water fluoridation offers significant benefits and reaches all residents who are connected to a municipal water supply.

A recent study from the University of Calgary compared the dental health of grade two students in Calgary and Edmonton with roughly 2,600 kids in each city taking part.

It found that students in Calgary are significantly more likely to have cavities than those in Edmonton, where water is still fluoridated.

Over half of Edmonton participants (55.1 per cent) had one or more cavities in their baby teeth and that number was 64.8 per cent in Calgary children.

Calgarians decide on Oct. 18.