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Fluctuating asymmetry is characterized by random deviations from perfect symmetry in bilaterally symmetrical structures. Elevated levels of fluctuating asymmetry indicate developmental instability usually associated with environmental stress. The utility of fluctuating dental asymmetry as an indicator of developmental instability and stress was tested using human adult teeth from prehistoric and modern populations from the Ohio River valley area; eight Late Archaic, two Protohistoric and one modern dental sample. Fluctuating asymmetry was estimated from thirty-six buccolingual measurements and compared to an index value for linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH). Some researchers have claimed that the transition to agriculture and maize diets caused a decline in health evident in the increased frequency of skeletal and dental stress indicators in the Late Prehistoric. Contrary to expectations, fluctuating asymmetry was different in only one of the measurements between periods, even though LEH varied significantly. The presence of stron