Nutrition is well-recognized as a necessary component of educational programs for physicians. This is to be valued in that of all factors affecting health in the United States, none is more important than nutrition. This can be argued from various perspectives, including health promotion, disease prevention, and therapeutic management. In all cases, serious consideration of nutrition related issues in the practice is seen to be one means to achieve cost-effective medical care. These modules were developed to provide more practical knowledge for health care providers, and in particular primary care physicians. This module is designed to encourage the primary care physician to stress to patients that osteoporosis is avoidable and to provide instruction on how patients can change their dietary habits. Answers are provided to commonly asked questions regarding bone and tooth development, the prevention of disease, and the role of nutrition in the maintenance of healthy bones and teeth. Included are learning goals and objectives, a self-check of achievement with regard to goals, references, and lists of resources for patients and physicians. (CW)