A survey was carried out on the timing of deciduous tooth eruption based upon 3600 Caucasian children in three heterogeneous samples from Birmingham, Sheffield and Gloucester and a small more or less homogeneous sample from Biddulph (North Staffordshire). These data were compared with the eruption times derived from a sample of 600 British Negro children. Generally, the deciduous teeth of Negroes erupted before those of Caucasians, although the actual eruption times in each sample exhibited a greater degree of variability than is appreciated by most dental workers.