Effect of Eating Cheese on Ca and P Concentrations of Whole Mouth Saliva and Plaque

Abstract

A study was undertaken to examine the release of calcium and phosphate from cheese during mastication. Unstimulated saliva was collected for baseline analysis in the initial study followed by saliva collection after chewing different cheeses with and without biscuits. In the second study, volunteers who had abstained from toothcleaning for 24 h had plaque samples taken from two quadrants, they then chewed cheese in their own personal eating manner, and a second sample of plaque was taken within 5 min. The results showed that the calcium ion concentration of the oral fluids rose from a mean of 30 μg/ml to between 200 and 540 μg/ ml, depending on the type of cheese, but the phosphate concentration fell below baseline. The release of both ions tended to be less when the cheese was eaten with a biscuit. In the second study a highly significant rise in plaque calcium concentration was shown after eating cheese, but no consistent change in phosphate level was found. Acidic soft drinks, following eating, tended to reduce the plaque calcium levels, but no consistent change was found if tea or coffee was taken following the cheese consumption. It is suggested, from these findings, that cheese eaten alone at the very end of a meal raises plaque calcium and might be effective in reducing dental caries.

The cariostatic potential of cheese: cooked cheese-containing meals increase plaque calcium concentration

“…2 However, this is probably accounted for by the weight of the cheese cube consumed, which in some studies has been as low as 5 g. 2 The baseline values obtained for plaque calcium concentration on the first visit made by the subjects (4.2 (1.1-7.4) µg/mg dry weight) are similar to those previously reported for students and for children aged 11 years (4.5 µg/mg and 3.8 µg/mg dry weight respectively) 18 and for children aged 11 to 14 years (5.5 µg/mg dry weight). 14 The range of baseline values obtained in the present study is narrower than previously reported 14 which may reflect the standardisation procedures employed (such as a period of abstinence from oral hygiene and period of fasting prior to each experiment).…”

“…Several lines of evidence have shown that consumption of a cube of cheese following carbohydrate foods may protect against dental caries, probably by increasing the plaque calcium concentration [1][2][3][4] and the pH of plaque. 1 However, cheese is not usually consumed alone following a meal and it is not known whether cheese, as it is habitually consumed, as part of a cooked mixed meal, is protective.…”

“…The calcium, but not the phosphate concentration of dental plaque increase significantly following the consumption of uncooked cheese on its own. [1][2][3] These observations suggest that changes in the calcium concentration of plaque following cheese consumption are one measure of the effectiveness of the cheese in reducing enamel demineralisation. 14 Calcium would be expected to diffuse most readily into plaques with a low calcium concentration because the concentration gradient between saliva and plaque is greater than with plaques high in calcium.…”

“…A non-significant trend was observed towards a larger magnitude of change in plaque calcium concentration in the 8 subjects with the lowest, compared with the 8 subjects with the highest baseline concentration. Conclusion The findings suggest that cheese-containing meals increase plaque calcium concentration and thus probably protect against dental caries.Several lines of evidence have shown that consumption of a cube of cheese following carbohydrate foods may protect against dental caries, probably by increasing the plaque calcium concentration [1][2][3][4] and the pH of plaque. 1 However, cheese is not usually consumed alone following a meal and it is not known whether cheese, as it is habitually consumed, as part of a cooked mixed meal, is protective.…”

The Relationship Between Diet, Nutrition and Dental Health: an Overview and Update for the 90s

“…Animal studies have shown that supplementation of a cariogenic diet with milk substantially reduced dental caries incidence (Reynolds &Johnson, 1981). Plaque pH studies have shown that milk causes only a negligible decrease in plaque pH (Jenkins & Ferguson, 1966;Rugg-Gunn et al 1985), enamel slab studies have shown that milk solids can reduce the cariogenic potential of sugar-containing foods (Thompson et al 1984), and Bowen et al (1991) have shown that milk does not produce dental caries even when given in a caries promoting environment.…”