Skeletal pigmentation due to tetracycline.

Two cases of pigmentation of the skeletal system due to tetracycline are reported. It is suggested that tetracycline may be stored in bone due to a tetracycline hydrochloride calcium phosphate complex after prolonged tetracycline administration, and that tetracycline may be the antibiotic of choice in certain cases of osteomyelitis. Dark pigmentation of the teeth may be due to prolonged tetracycline therapy and may be the only sign of heavy deposition into the skeletal system.