Effect of eating cheese on Ca and P concentrations of whole mouth saliva and plaque.

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 tooth cleaning 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 micrograms/ml to between 200 and 540 micrograms/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.