The cariostatic potential of cheese: cooked cheese-containing meals increase plaque calcium concentration.
OBJECTIVE
Eating cheese by itself increases plaque calcium concentration - which is probably one mechanism of the well-established action of cheese in reducing experimental caries. The objective of the present study was to determine whether consumption of cheese as part of a cooked, mixed meal (ie as it is habitually consumed) is able to increase plaque calcium concentration.


METHODS
Plaque samples were obtained from 16 adult volunteers before and 5 minutes after consumption of either a 15 g cube of cheese, one of two cheese-containing test meals, or one of two control meals. Each subject tested each of the four meals on a separate occasion. Plaque calcium concentration was measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry.


RESULTS
The test meals increased plaque calcium concentrations to a significantly greater magnitude than the control meals (P < 0.05). 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.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that cheese-containing meals increase plaque calcium concentration and thus probably protect against dental caries.
Moynihan
P J
PJ
The Dental School, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Ferrier
S
S
Jenkins
G N
GN
D000328:Adult; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis*; D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D002611:Cheese; D003296:Cooking; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic
D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D002118:Calcium