The New Plymouth District Council has voted to stop fluoridating water supplies in the city and several towns.
Following a two-day hearing, councillors voted 8 to 5 at a meeting on Thursday morning to stop fluoride being added to the water.
The council expects the main reticulation system to run out of fluoride in a few weeks.
Fluoridation will also stop in Waitara, Urenui and Lepperton.
New Plymouth mayor Harry Duynhoven says the Ministry of Health made a submission supporting fluoride but there was a strong lobby against its health risks.
He says the $18,000 that had been spent annually on fluoridation will now go toward dental health education programmes in schools.
