Abstract
This chapter reviews the evidence from epidemiological studies for an effect of intake of dairy products on the risk of dental caries and chronic periodontitis, the two most prevalent oral diseases. There is considerable evidence from cross-sectional studies of an inverse association between intake of dairy products and the prevalence of caries in children and adolescents. However, few studies have evaluated the association in adults and evidence from longitudinal studies or intervention studies is scarce. More recently, cross-sectional studies from the USA and Japan have also reported inverse associations between intake of dairy products and chronic periodontitis; however, no longitudinal or intervention studies have been conducted. While there are promising data from cross-sectional studies that dairy products could have an important role in the prevention of the two most prevalent oral disease, longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to confirm these associations.