Abstract

A total of 505 patients in general practice were asked to respond to a list of 25 obligatory nourishments for a child while going to have the first teeth, for its effectiveness in dealing with patient's periodontal health especially include chewing hard food. They were also asked to select the three effective nutrition for periodontal tissue. The indicts of patient perceived importance of the periodontal health were derived and each compared with actual effectiveness as determined from a sample of 250 patient's opinion. Although the majority of patient's 18 of 25 nutritions as being very effective, there was no significant association with patient perceived nourishment effectiveness and actual effectiveness. The implications for patient training are discussed.