Pigment Studies on the Incisor Teeth of Vitamin E Deficient Rats of the Long-Evans Strain.

Conclusions 1. Vitamin E deficient rats of the Long-Evans strain did not show the extensive depigmentation of the maxillary incisors as reported by the other investigators. 2. Female rats maintained on an E-deficient diet for 310 days or longer gradually developed a slight incisor depigmentation that was statistically significant. Male rats on similar diets failed to manifest a significant change. 3. A comparison of diet differences, sex and age variations in our animals and those of other workers failed to provide an adequate explanation for our contradictory results. 4. It is suggested that a genetic difference between the Long-Evans and albino strains of rats may be the explanation for the failure of the former strain to show the maxillary incisor depigmentation earlier reported in vitamin E deficient albino rats.