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

Nagkakaproblema lumaki sa Estados Unidos, where water fluoridation is quite routine, I was surprised to learn of this fluoride policy.

I discovered that, according to Health Canada, mas mababa sa kalahati ng Canadian (halos 45 porsiyento) receive fluoridated water.

Bagaman 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, London, and Edmonton are among the cities with fluoridated water. Water is not fluoridated in Vancouver, Victoria, Montreal, o Quebec City. Calgary previously fluoridated the city water, pero its city council voted in 2011 to discontinue the practice.

Sa US, higit sa 70 percent of Americans — or more than 204 milyong tao — on community water systems have fluoridated water.

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

U.K., like many European countries, has taken the opposite approach. Mas mababa sa 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!

Ano ang tungkol sa iyo? What facts surprised you when you moved abroad? Please leave a comment and share your discoveries.

Larawan sa glass ng tubig sa pamamagitan ng Greg Riegler Photography (Flickr)