Kia ora,

I am writing to request some information under the Official Information Act to help me better understand the data used in the recent "New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 analysis for 14 fluoridation directions."

On page 10 of Appendix 1, the document states: "New Zealand's Oral Health Survey shows that, on average, 40% less tooth decay was experienced among children and adolescents living in communities with fluoridated water..." I am trying to understand how this 40% relative reduction was translated into actual physical metrics for the Director-General during the decision-making process. I am interested in the absolute difference (the Difference in Means) rather than just the relative percentage (the Ratio of Means).

Please note: I am not requesting the raw 2009 New Zealand Oral Health Survey datasets. My request is strictly for the internal briefing documents, or specific page references within the decision package, where these absolute metrics were presented.

Could you please provide the following:

1. Information on Absolute Difference (Children):
Any memo, file note, or working document provided to the Director-General during the drafting of the Memo (or Appendices) that explicitly outlines the absolute Difference in Means for dmft/DMFT or dmfs/DMFS that corresponds to the 40% relative figure quoted on page 10.

2. Information on Adult Efficacy:
Please provide the specific internal documents or briefings provided to the Director-General that show the absolute Difference in Means (for DMFT or DMFS) for the adult demographic (18+) that was considered when assessing the overall benefit of the policy.

3. Location in the NZBORA Assessment: I have reviewed the publicly available November 2024 decision package (the Memo and all Appendices), but I am unable to locate any reference to the absolute Difference in Means for dmft/DMFT or dmfs/DMFS. If these absolute metrics were indeed used to weigh the benefits of the mandate during the s 5 NZBORA assessment, please provide the exact page and paragraph numbers where they are recorded. If these absolute numbers are not recorded anywhere within the Memo or its Appendices, please explicitly confirm this omission.

Thank you for your time and help in clarifying these metrics.
Alisha Riley