Cheese helps against plaque

Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain cheese's anticariogenic effect (11,31,32). Cheese may buffer or neutralize plaque acids; stimulate saliva flow which has caries-reducing properties; and reduce demineralization and/or promote remineralization by protein, calcium, and phosphorus. The buffering effect of protein in cheese (e.g., casein phosphopeptides) on acid formation in dental plaque and the promotion of food clearance by cheese-induced saliva flow are the most popularly held explanations for cheese's beneficial effect on dental caries (31). Both experimental animal and human epidemiological studies demonstrate that calcium and phosphate in cheese may be partly responsible for this food's ability to remineralize tooth enamel (11,31,32). When dental plaque samples were obtained from British adults before and 5 minutes after intake of cheese cubes or cheese-containing meals (e.g., pasta with cheese sauce), plaque calcium concentrations were significantly higher in subjects consuming cheese than in those who did not consume this food (41). This finding led the researchers to suggest that consuming cheese either alone or as part of a meal increases plaque calcium, which helps to reduce or prevent decreases in plaque pH levels and promote remineralization of tooth enamel (41).

http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/NationalDairyCouncil/Health/Digest/dcd73-5Page4.htm