Dental caries and periodontal diseases, because of their prevalence and strong dependence on a lifestyle, are a social problem, and constitute an important element of public health.

The effectiveness of complex stomatological activities related to health of the oral cavity depends on the systemic support, and requires simultaneous education, promotion and prophylaxis. The activities should concentrate on children and youth.

The authors suggest that dental offices should return to schools as centres performing, in cooperation with parents, complex stomatological activities connected with health of the oral cavity. Dental care for children and youth should be free of charge. Disproportions between the price of an educational, promotion, prophylactic consultation and treatment should be reduced to motivate dentists to perform the former.

Educational programmes for dentists should include more information in the field of public health and environmental and social medicine. Physicians, especially family doctors, pediatricians and internists, should know how to estimate a general health condition of the oral cavity, especially to diagnose infection foci and pre-cancer states of mucosa.