The effect of cheese on dental caries: A review of the literature

Abstract

The relationship between nutrition and dental health has been a topic of interest for many years. Recently, the cariostatic properties of cheese have been the subject of intensive research. Most of these studies suggest that the use of cheese as the final food in a meal will help to reduce caries. Several mechanisms by which cheese may reduce enamel demineralization have been proposed. Chewing cheese stimulates saliva flow. The alkaline nature of saliva buffers the acids formed in plaque. There is also an increased rate of sugar clearance due to the diluting action of cheese-stimulated saliva. Research has also suggested that chewing cheese may reduce the levels of cariogenic bacteria. This may be secondary to the reduced incidence of caries as conditions within a carious lesion tend to promote the growth of these organisms. The high calcium and phosphorus content seems to be another factor in the cariostatic mechanism of cheese. Both casein and whey protein seem to be involved in the reduction of enamel demineralization. Casein phosphopeptides may also be responsible for some anticariogenicity by concentrating calcium and phosphate in plaque. An overview of the effect of milk on dental caries is also presented in this review.

Incorporation of Caseinoglycomacropeptide and Caseinophosphopeptide into the Salivary Pellicle Inhibits Adherence of Mutans Streptococci

“…Since A. viscosus Nyl produces a neuraminidase (unpublished observation), it is assumed that this enzyme unmasks the Gals 1-3 GalNAc sequences, which are known to act as ligands for the Actiinoniyces type 2 fimbriae (McIntire et al, 1983;Str6mberg and Boren, 1992;Stromberg ct al., 1992). A reduction of mutans streptococci has not been consistently observed in all experimental rat caries studies (for a review, see Herod, 1991;Reynolds ct al., 1995). This, however, is no surprise.…”

“…Ever since Lady May Mellanby (1929,1930) proposed milk as an important nutritional factor affecting pre-eruptive tooth mineralization and post-eruptive caries resistance, the relationship between milk and caries has been examined from various angles [for a review, see Reynolds and Storey (1979) and Herod (1991Herod ( ,1994]. Although Mellanby's theory was not tenable, numerous animal studies have demonstrated that milk and milk products (primarily cheese) have a protective effect against the development of dental caries (Bevetta and McClure, 1957;Shaw et al, 1959;Dreizen et al, 1961; Reynolds and Del Rio, 1984;Harper et al, 1986;Reynolds and Black, 1987;Bowen and Pearson, 1993;Mundorff-Shrestha et al, 1993).…”

Dental Caries and Beverage Consumption in Young Children

“…14 - 19 Erickson et al 16 investigated the caries-related properties of whole milk and infant formulas. Although milk supported bacterial growth, it had a high buffering capacity and required substantially more time than sucrose and some infant formulas to produce caries.…”

The in vitro effect of fluoridated milk in a bacterial biofilm - Enamel model

“…ment of caries lesions. A considerable amount of research has been conducted on investigating the influence of various foods on caries development [22][23][24] It has also been discussed, that milk and milk products may have a cariostatic effect 19,20,25 The cariostatic effect of milk and milk products may be due to their high content of Ca and P ions, the buffer capacity, or to the content of casein phosphopeptides 17,20,26 . However, there has been a controversial discussion about the fluoride availability in milk 27 .…”

“…Enamel remineralization is not only dependent on bio-availability of fluoride but also on the calcium and phosphorus content in the oral cavity. Milk contains relatively high concentrations of calcium and phosphorus and may therefore be an ideal carrier for remineralization of enamel 16,17 It has been debated whether milk alone and milk products have a cariostatic effect [18][19][20][21] Recent investigations have shown that fluoridated milk is more effective in caries inhibition than milk alone 5,6,8,9 Dietary regimes and fluoride bioavailability are therefore the keystone for caries inhibition and remineralization.…”