My daughter came back from the dentist the other day and reported that Vancouver does not fluoridate its water system.

Tendo crescido nos Estados Unidos, where water fluoridation is quite routine, I was surprised to learn of this fluoride policy.

I discovered that, according to Health Canada, menos da metade dos canadenses (grosseiramente 45 por cento) receive fluoridated water.

Embora Health Canada supports water fluoridation as a way to reduce tooth decay, the decision to fluoridate water is a local one in Canada.

Toronto, Hamilton, Londres, and Edmonton are among the cities with fluoridated water. Water is not fluoridated in Vancouver, Victoria, Montreal, ou Quebec City. Calgary previously fluoridated the city water, mas its city council voted in 2011 to discontinue the practice.

Em os EUA, mais 70 percent of Americans — or more than 204 milhões de pessoas — on community water systems have fluoridated water.

The percentage is even higher in Australia, onde approximately 90 percent of the population receives fluoridated water.

O R.U., like many European countries, has taken the opposite approach. Menor que 10 percent of U.K. residents have fluoride added to their water supply.

One of the many unexpected things you learn when you move to a new country!

E quanto a você? What facts surprised you when you moved abroad? Please leave a comment and share your discoveries.

Foto de água de vidro por Greg Riegler Fotografia (Flickr)