Medicine: Rich Teeth, Poor Teeth

Looking 60,000 draftees in the mouth, U.S. Army dental examiners found that the best teeth in eastern Massachusetts are those of Negroes and Chinese; the worst, those of English and Irish. For every Russian-Jewish draftee rejected for bad teeth, three Irishmen were rejected.

Total caries (decayed, missing and filled teeth) is highest in men from the most prosperous communities, lowest in men from the poorest. This ratio is partly caused by the large number of fillings in the mouths of well-heeled citizens.