A study to assess the caries experience in 12- and 15-year-old children living on a sugar estate was carried out in Kilombero, Tanzania. The average sugar distribution figure per capita per year was estimated to be six times higher for the estate population than for the Tanzanian population at large. No restorations were found. The mean DMT scores (+/- SD) for 12- and 15-year-old children were 0.48 +/- 0.82 and 1.02 +/- 1.61 respectively. The mean DMT score in 12-year-old children did not differ significantly from results recently reported in other Tanzanian studies carried out on the same age groups. The data suggest that care should be taken in explaining changes in caries prevalence over time on the basis of sugar sales figures alone.