CARIES AND CROWDING IN THE TEETH OF THE LIVING ALASKAN ESKIMO

Of 296 Alaskan Eskimos, 26,7% had one or more carious teeth and 15.5% had crowded teeth. These percentages on the living are considerably higher than those reported for the prehistoric Eskimos, and apparently are to be attributed to changed food habits following contact with white civilization. Race mixture does not seem to have been a factor. Caries and crowded teeth are much more frequent among the Eskimos living at white settlements or having access to civilized foods than among those at the more remote settlements where there is little contact with whites. According to age, the individuals were affected in the following order: adolescents, young adults, young children, and older adults. The [male][male], both young and old, showed a slightly higher incidence of caries and a lower incidence of crowded teeth than the [female][female]. The teeth of the lower jaw were more carious than those of the upper jaw. Lower 1st molars were the most frequently affected, followed by the lower 2nd, upper 1st, lower 3rd, upper 2nd, and upper 3rd.