For 40 years, dental therapist Jennifer James has had the "unique experience" of treating children in Bathurst, which has fluoride in its water, and 48 kilometres away in Oberon, which doesn't.

“The difference out here working is that you see twice as much tooth decay in children, twice as many fillings, twice as many extractions. That is a comparison we can make weekly in Bathurst and Oberon," said Ms James, who works for NSW Health.

"What people don't see is parents crying because they don't understand why their children need teeth taken out."

Dental therapist Jennifer James sees a clear difference between the haves and have nots. Credit:Janie Barrett

For Ms James, it is a clear cut case of the haves and the have-nots. Every day she sees the impact of the Oberon's repeated decisions not to fluoridate its water supply in children's mouths, she told a community meeting in Oberon .