The NZ Oral Health Survey, published in 2009, involved a nationally representative sample of 3,475 adults (aged ≥18 years). This study evaluated their responses to the questions about community water fluoridation. More than half (57.7%) of the respondents believed there are benefits to dental health from adding fluoride to drinking water and 31.7% did not know whether there are benefits. More than 45% of respondents did not know whether there were health risks from adding fluoride to drinking water. Overall, 42.0% of respondents were strongly or somewhat in favour of community water fluoridation. Māori, Pacific and Asian respondents were significantly more likely than other population groups to answer ‘do not know’ when asked about their support for fluoridation.
