Introduction: Health education plays a crucial road in maintaining good oral health of human population and, primarily, in reducing the incidence of caries as one of the most frequent oral diseases. This implies the need for a change in the behaviour of individuals, groups or the society as a whole, in terms of the following: establishing a proper nutrition regime, establishing the habit of maintaining oral hygiene and the use of fluorides. The goal of the paper is to determine the quantity of information which parents and their seven year old children have on the effects of nutrition, oral hygiene and fluoride prophylaxis on dental health in rural and urban environment.
Material and methods: The survey included 450 seven-year-old children and their parents in urban and rural environments. The quantity of information about proper nutrition, oral hygiene and fluoride prophylaxis was determined based on specific questionnaires for children and their parents.
Results: The quantity of information about the effects of proper nutrition, oral hygiene and fluoride prophylaxis on dental health of seven year old children is significantly larger in urban, as compared to the rural environment. The quantity of information of parents about the effects of proper nutrition, oral hygiene and fluoride prophylaxis on dental health is larger in urban, as compared to the rural environment.
Conclusion: This research suggests a need to intensify health education activities, especially in the rural environment.