yellow, or brown changes in tooth color are caused by tetracyclines,
which are assumed to form complexes with calcium and
are thus incorporated into mineralizing dental hard tissues
(enamel, dentin, and cementum) and bone (Bevelander 1964,
Stewart 1964, Weiyman 1965, Cohlan 1977). The hue of the
discolorations possibly depends on the specific tetracycline
preparation (tetracycycline, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline,
doxycycline, minocycline), while their intensity seems to be
determined by the dosage of the drug and the duration of the
treatment (Cohlan 1977). Whether tetracyclines can also cause
enamel hypoplasias is still uncertain (Ulvestad et al. 1978). It
is, however, undisputed that hard tissue pigmentations from
tetracyclines intensely fluoresce in a golden-yellow color upon
excitation with ultraviolet light (Cohlan 1977, Ulvestad et al.
1978).