Water fluoridation opponents plan to present the West Australian government with a petition calling for an end to the practice, coinciding with new research reinforcing its benefit for children’s oral health.

Fluoride Free WA – which plans to form a political party for the March state election and currently has more than half the members it needs – will present the 6500-signature-strong petition to Nationals MP Jacqui Boydell at 12.30pm.

The state government released the results of a study on Tuesday, finding children in areas without fluoridation were at 1.6 times the risk of having one or more decayed, missing or filled permanent teeth.

And on Wednesday, the National Health and Medical Research Council released a draft paper concluding fluoridation was good for dental health and had no other health effects or harms.

But Fluoride Free WA secretary Hayley Green is unconvinced.

“There’s no reason why we should be drinking it – it’s topical,” she told AAP.

“My aunty was protesting 50 years ago to stop it going on. Once you start looking into it, it’s crazy that it’s still there.”

Health Minister John Day said more than 92 per cent of West Australians had access to fluoridated water.

“We have recently brought fluoridated water to Moora, Dongara and Port Denison,” he said.

“Port Hedland is expected to have fluoridated water by the end of 2016, with Newman, Kununurra and Yanchep due to come on line in 2017.”