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Abstract
115 primary (deciduous) teeth from different areas in Santiago de Chile and 26 teeth from the town of Arica in the north of Chile were collected by local dentists. The teeth were analyzed for their content of lead, cadmium, mercury, zinc and copper, using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The lead and cadmium contents in the primary teeth from Santiago were significanly higher than in the teeth from Arica, but the levels of copper were significantly lower. No significant differences were found for mercury or zinc. A positive, significant correlation was found between cadmium and lead for both the whole material and for Santiago alone. The Arica material showed a positive, significant correlation between mercury and lead, and between mercury and zinc. The average concentrations found probably do not represent a health risk, but nevertheless there may be children living in areas with below optimum conditions concerning these elements. Further investigations are suggested.