Search any town or council to see whether fluoride is added to its public supply, who made that decision, and when it last changed.
of Australians are on fluoridated public water
Queensland councils still adding fluoride
mg/L target dose. The guideline maximum is 1.5 mg/L
Beaconsfield, Tasmania became the first fluoridated town
Every dot is a town or supply zone. Filter by status or state, or click a town to see who decides and what changed.
Fluoridation is a state and territory matter. The rules, and who holds the power to switch it on or off, differ a lot.
Council votes, policy reviews, failed equipment and the science behind it. Sourced, dated, and plainly written.
Tweed went nine months without it. Bowral has had none since July 2025, Mudgee since 2020, Nyngan since 2015. Broken Hill is dosed on paper but barely registers. No council voted for any of this. Here's the list.
Since 2012, council after council has voted to stop. Gympie, Cooktown, Banana and Central Highlands are the latest. Both major parties have left it to local government.
Brisbane's main treatment plant measured as low as 0.07 mg/L in September. Broken Hill averaged 0.16. Here's what utility data shows about supplies running well below target.
While Queensland councils opt out, Western Australia has been quietly expanding. Here's every new fluoridated supply we've found.
One study found fluoride builds up in the ageing pineal gland. Here's what it showed, what it didn't, and why the debate continues.
Boiling, filters, bottled water, toothpaste, fluorosis and what's actually added. Every claim sourced.
Who adds it, how much, what the evidence says, what critics argue, and where in Australia it isn't added at all.
It has more than three times the fluoride of regular toothpaste and is sold pharmacist-only. Here's what that means, and the precautions on the label.
A daily fluoride rinse has about 220 ppm fluoride and isn't for children 6 and under. Here's how it compares with toothpaste and water.
Dental varnish is the most concentrated fluoride most people will ever meet: 22,600 ppm. Here's what Australian guidelines say about it.
The dose makes the poison. Here's what's established, what's disputed and what's still open, from teeth and bones to thyroid and IQ, with the numbers.
At high doses, the evidence is fairly strong. At Australian water levels, studies disagree. Here is every major study, with its numbers and its weaknesses.
Boiling leaves fluoride behind and slightly concentrates it. Only a few methods actually take it out.
Tea plants pull fluoride from the soil. A typical cup of black tea carries around three times the fluoride of fluoridated water.
Home test strips are often wrong. Here's what works: your utility's reports, a NATA-accredited lab, and what the numbers mean.
Reverse osmosis, distillers, activated alumina, jugs and shower filters compared. Plus the certifications to look for.
What hydroxyapatite is, what the clinical trials found, how it's regulated here, and which brands you can buy in Australia.
Most still bottled water has very little. But Australian rules allow fluoride to be added, and here's how to tell.
About 1 in 6 Australian children has some fluorosis. Here's what causes it, how severe it gets, and how to reduce the risk.
Australian guidelines stopped recommending fluoride tablets and drops in 2006. Here's why, and what's advised instead.
It comes from fertiliser manufacturing, can carry trace arsenic and lead, and must meet strict purity standards. Here's how it works.
The chemicals used, where they come from, how much goes in, and which home filters actually remove it.
From one Tasmanian town in 1953 to a national review in 2026. Scroll the timeline.
Grand Rapids, Michigan becomes the first city in the world to fluoridate.
Beaconsfield, Tasmania becomes the first in Australia.
Yass becomes the first NSW town.
Canberra and Queanbeyan begin fluoridating.
Sydney and Perth follow. Tasmania passes the Fluoridation Act.
Adelaide fluoridated.
Melbourne fluoridated.
Bligh Labor government mandates fluoridation across Queensland.
North Pine overdose: about 400 Brisbane homes get up to 13 times the limit.
Newman LNP government hands the decision back to Queensland councils.
Byron Shire votes no. Cairns and other Queensland centres stop.
Rous Water starts dosing Lismore, Ballina and Casino after a NSW Health direction.
Mackay votes to remove fluoride.
US National Toxicology Program links high fluoride exposure (above 1.5 mg/L) with lower child IQ.
Utah and Florida ban fluoridation. Cooktown, Banana and Gympie stop in Queensland. Bunbury, Capel, Donnybrook and Denmark start in WA.
NHMRC reopens its advice. NZ Court of Appeal backs national fluoridation orders. Tweed restores dosing; Dubbo prepares to restart.
Every utility in Australia publishes fluoride readings. Here's how to find yours in five minutes.
Mostly, yes. About 90% of Australians drink fluoridated public water. Every capital city adds it. The big exception is regional Queensland, where only 16 of 77 councils still add it, plus scattered towns like Byron Bay in NSW. Search your town above to check.
Health authorities add it to reduce tooth decay. It is dosed at 0.6 to 1.1 mg/L. Supporters call it one of the most cost-effective public health measures. Opponents object to medicating a whole population through the water supply, without individual consent. Read the full explainer.
Beaconsfield in Tasmania was first, in 1953. Canberra followed in 1964, Sydney in 1968, Adelaide in 1971 and Melbourne in 1977. Queensland didn't mandate it until 2008, and handed the choice back to councils in 2012.
The recognised risk at Australian levels is dental fluorosis, usually faint white marks on teeth. The NHMRC is reviewing its advice in 2026, including new IQ research. A 2024 US review linked exposures above 1.5 mg/L with lower child IQ. Critics also raise consent and total intake from toothpaste, tea and formula.
No. Boiling leaves the fluoride behind and slightly concentrates it. See what does remove it.
That's your call. Australian health authorities recommend drinking fluoridated tap water. If you choose to remove it, reverse osmosis, distillation and activated alumina work, while standard jug filters remove little. Compare filter types.
Councils vote, plants break, supplies switch. If you spot a notice or a change in your water quality report, tell us and we'll update the map publicly.