An epidemiologic survey on the occurence of hypo-and hyperdontia was carried out among the 28,000 grade school children of Jerusalem. While the first condition was more prevalent among girls, boys had more supernumery teeth.The rate of both anomalities was higher in children belonging to Oriental ethnic groups than in children of European origin, and in Israelis of second generation. The maxilla was more often involved than the mandible, and the tooth most often lacking was the maxillary lateral incisor. Most supernumerary teeth were of the type of the "mesiodens."

The teeth of 10,371 male and 11,013 female Israel Jews were examined. Prevalence of all hypodontia was 4.60% with no significant difference between the sexes; 2.11% lacked upper lateral incisors, the females having a significantly higher prevalence than males. Second premolars were missing in 1.87% of the population, with no significant differences between the sexes. Missing lower incisors was diagnosed in 0.68% of the children, with a higher prevalence in males. Prevalence of missing lower incisors was similar in the Ashkenazi and in the non-Ashkenazi. The teeth most frequently missing in descending order were the upper lateral incisors and the lower second premolars.

The periodontal status of approximately 5,000 subjects belonging to nine ethnic groups of Oriental origin, aged four years and above and living in villages in Israel, was investigated. The severity of periodontal involvement of a group was found to be similar whether expressed as gingivitis in childhood or as destructive periodontal disease in adolescence and adult life. Gingivitis reached its peak at the age of 10 to 11 years and then tended to level off or even decline. The periodontal index (PI) and gingival recession rate (GRR) both formed straight line graphs between the ages of 17 and 55+. The incidence and prevalence of periodontal disease were almost uniformly higher in males than in females. In the populations investigated in the present study, it appears unwarranted to attribute this difference to differences in attitude to oral health and hygiene between the sexes. The possibility that habitual chewing of the leaves of Catha edulis is a causative factor in the exceptionally high rates of periodontal disease in Yemenite males is discussed. The periodontal health of the best groups was inferior to that of white Americans, and of the same order as that of American Negroes and the inhabitants of Lebanon and Chile. The most severe degree of involvement was comparable to findings in South‐East Asia, and occurred in people who had immigrated from India.

Acetic acid soluble collagen was extracted from a sample of clinically uninflamed gingiva obtained from a 14 year‐old boy suffering from Papillon‐Lefevre syndrome (PFS). After purification, the collagen was gelatinized and then examined by disc electrophoresis. Collagen extracted from samples of clinically healthy gingiva (NG) and clinically inflamed gingiva (IG) of otherwise healthy young people, was similarly treated. Comparison of the results showed that the disc electrophoretic pattern of PFS gingival collagen differed from that of NG and IG collagen, and that it was reminiscent of, but not identical with that of published electrophoretic patterns of collagens digested by animal collagenases.

This anthropological study of the people of biblical lands is interesting in its own right. The Journal also is fortunate, indeed, to be able to publish such a well‐planned study.