The Prime Minister's chief science adviser says there is nothing "silly" going on with a Royal Society of New Zealand review of water fluoridation.
Sir Peter Gluckman and the society have put together a panel of scientists to conduct the review.
An anti-flouride lobby group claims it is a secret panel that will be deeply biased by the pro-fluoridation views of Sir Peter and the society.
Sir Peter says the panel is not a secret and such reviews are conducted all the time.
"There's nothing silly here, this is just straightforward scientists reviewing what's in the peer reviewed literature about what we know about the safety and efficacy of fluoride in water. It is reviewing the scientific literature."
Sir Peter Gluckman says the report will be released when international peer-reviewers sign it off as a fair and complete summary of the science.