Dental caries and tetracycline-stained dentition in an American Indian population.

Complaints of enamel defects in American Indian children residing on the St. Regis reservation in New York State prompted an epidemiological study. The results of that study, reported earlier (Rebich et al., 1983), indicated that over one-fifth of the American Indian children had discoloration of the dentition due to ingestion of tetracycline during the years of tooth formation. These data also provided an ideal opportunity to examine the link between tetracycline staining and caries which has been postulated by previous authors. American Indian children, ages 7-18, were found to have a higher caries experience than other children and a lower rate of dental service utilization, as evidenced by the filled component of the DMFS index (FS/DMFS). Within the American Indian population, however, no indication was found of any association between tetracycline staining and dental caries.