Oral health is an integral part of the general health of humans and significantly affect the quality of life. Dental caries is today the most widespread disease of our civilization, which if untreated leads to tooth loss. It is significant to note that studies show the possibility of successful prevention of diseases of the oral cavity. Traditionally, there has always been lower economic and educational level of the population in rural areas, and also a lower availability of dental services. Possible reasons for this include the lack of pediatric dental offices in schools in rural areas, the greater the distance of the dentist, the lack of properly organized school dental care, lack of knowledge about the importance of oral health by their parents as role models and unfavorable socio-economic status. The aim of this study was to examine the level of awareness and habits of children and parents toward oral hygiene and bad habits in the Serbian enclaves in Kosovo and Metohija and to compare them with children who live in urban areas in Kosovska Mitrovica. The study included 160 elementary school students in the area of Kosovska Mitrovica (urban area) and the Serbian enclaves on Kosovo and Metohia (rural area) which included elementary school students from Sirinić District, the Kosovo Morava, the central Kosovo, villages of Suvo Grlo and Banja in municipality Istok. By examining the frequency of tooth brushing we found that 32 (40%) of children in enclaves brush their teeth once a day, 40 (50%) two times a day, and only 8 (5%) of them maintain hygiene teeth 3 times a day. Boys who wash their teeth three times a day were 12.5% and 37.5% of girls. The children from the enclave more often come to the dentist when they have an appointment (33:8), while children from Kosovska Mitrovica more often come to the quarterly control (21:4). An interesting fact is that 15.33% of children from urban areas cited as a source of oral health information from the Internet and Android application for mobile phone or tablet. The difficult security situation, limited freedom of movement, the poorly developed dental services, poor health education and promotion of oral health of the population of Serbian enclaves, the reason for the weaker informing children and parents about preventive dental measures. It is necessary to mobilize all sectors of society on joint actions aimed at the promotion of oral health.

Periodontal diseases appear at the earliest age, they are progressive, long-lasting and if not treated lead to the loss of teeth in adults. By examining and identifying the frequency, range and severity of periodontium diseases, it is possible to evaluate the need for prevention and treatment of those affected with gingivitis and periodontophaty.The aim of the study is to determine the oral hygiene and periodontium status of the examined children in urban and rural areas. A total of 240 schoolchildren was examined. Significant presence of soft deposits was found in the examined children aged 12 and 15 years, disregarding the place of residence (IMN- 1.53 in town and IMN- 1.40 in the village). Calculus index values are significantly lower in the rural compared to the urban area for about 40% (0.26 in rural compared to 0.44 in urban area In relation to the place of residence (town-village), the status of the periodontium evaluated by CPTIN Index, shows that only 14.6% of the examined children need no treatment. Within the necessary treatment, 32.9% of the examinees need training in oral hygiene and 40.8% of them need removal of soft and hard deposits. Considering the recorded values from these two typical areas, it can be concluded that dental protection in these two regions has no significant influence on oral health. Thus, it is necessary to plan and conduct permanent prevention, early diagnosis and timely therapy.