[Tetracyclin and caries]

The influence of tetracyclines embedded in hard substances on caries predisposition of the teeth is tested in Syrian hamsters. Caries predisposition in the teeth that mineralized under tetracycline influence is by 67% smaller than in the teeth of the animals of the control group. This phenomenon can neither be explained by a permanent change in the microflora of the oral cavity nor by a local effect of the antibiotic resulting from dissolving processes when it is released. The reduction in caries predisposition can only be due to a change in the mineral structure of the enamel that developed under the influence of tetracycline.