Introduction. Dental caries in deciduous teeth is a big problem in pedodontics because of its considerable frequency and the very low age of patients. The health status of children’s oral cavity is related to a number of different factors and it is also connected with prophylaxis and pro-health education. Aim of the study. The aim of this study was to evaluate the health status of dentition in 6-year-old children from the city of Szczecin and the Zachodniopomorskie province. Material and methods. 60 children of both sexes were examined from the city of Szczecin, 30 children from a town in the above province and 30 from a village. Results. The results showed a very high prevalence of caries and high values for the DMF/dmf indices in children from the town and village. The children coming from the town and village need more encouragement in pro-health habits and better access to dental care than children of the same age from the city. Conclusion. The results show a decidedly worse status of dentition in children from the small town and the village than in their peers from the city. Thus it is necessary to implement preventive and treatment measures as well as improving oral health awareness among the parents and guardians, particularly in small towns and country areas.

Key words: caries frequency, dmf, DMF, epidemiologic studies.