The occurrence of longitudinal grooves and other dysplastic changes in mouse maxillary incisor teeth was shown to be age‐ and strain‐associated. The dysplasia appears analogous in some respects to human dens invaginatus. Twelve strains of inbred or F1 hybrid mice (282 males, 73 females) were examined at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 months of age. Lesions occurred in low prevalence (4–9 of the mice examined) in DBA/2, B10. 129 and Swiss Webster mice, in moderate prevalence (26–48) in B6D2F1, C57BL/6, CBA/CA, B6C3F1, and A/JN mice, and in high prevalence (58–70) in HO B/C (nude), CBA/HT6, CBF1 and BALB/c mice. No six month old mice of any strain and only a few 12 month old animals from the high prevalence strains were affected. The prevalence of lesions increased rapidly with age in moderate and high prevalence strains starting at 18 months. The origin of the dysplasia appears to be an age‐ and strain‐associated change in the odontogenic epithelium comprising the enamel organ. We do not yet understand the factors promoting
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