In 1990, as part of a major health status assessment, a dental survey was carried out on a 20 per cent random sample of the adult population in the Keewatin region of the Northwest Territories. A 73 per cent response rate was obtained. Of the 397 people examined, 334 (88 per cent) identified themselves as Inuit. More than 20 per cent of the respondents were edentulous, including 10 per cent of those 18 to 34 years old. The median DMFT was 24 for all respondents and 21 for dentulous respondents. There was a significant difference between Inuit and non-Inuit respondents, which was most marked in the 18 to 34 year old age group (mean DMFT 22.1 versus 15.6, p