City council has revisited the debate over fluoride in the public water supply after it was removed in 2011.
Mayor Nenshi said people should petition for a plebiscite on the issue of putting fluoride back into the water.
“I have advised dentists and many others who are concerned about this that if you really want to get this on to the ballot in 2017 there is a process,” he said. “If you were to put a petition on the front counter of every dentist’s office I suspect you get your signatures pretty quickly.”
Nenshi said he would vote in favour of putting fluoride back into the water. Not everyone on council agrees though.
“To me the detriment exceeded the benefit and so I didn't think it was appropriate for us to mass medicate the population,” said Councillor Andre Chabot.
A study published in the journal Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology in February 2016 showed that since the fluoride was removed, there has been a worsening of tooth decay in children in Calgary. The study’s researchers say tooth decay is the most common infectious disease in children, leading to pain, expensive treatments and sometimes surgery.
