Perawatan kesehatan gigi dan mulut menggunakan pasta gigi mengandung fluor dan herbal terhadap perubahan pH saliva

Background: Dental caries occurs due to five main factors, namely the frequency of carbohydrate intake, acid,
plaque retention and salivary pH factors. Mechanical action by brushing teeth, is the most basic action to clean
teeth and mouth. it aims to help clean plaque. Tooth brushing activities are accompanied by the use of toothpaste
which contains several elements including fluoride, herbal ingredients, detergents, water, binders, sweeteners,
therapeutic ingredients, anti-bacterial substances. Fluor and herbs contained in toothpaste can affect the pH of
saliva as one of the factors causing dental caries.
Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of fluoride and herbal content on changes in salivary pH in preventing
secondary caries.
Method: A quasi Experimental Design with Nonequivalent Control Group Design. The sample was 74 participants
who were divided into 2 groups, namely group 1 using toothpaste containing herbal brand X and group 2 using
toothpaste containing fluorine brand Y.
Results: The analysis showed differences in salivary pH levels before and before using herbal toothpaste with p
value = 0.005, while in the fluorine toothpaste group slightly increased salivary pH, but statistically did not show a
significant difference with p value = 0.111. Furthermore, in the unpaired test between the herbal toothpaste and
fluorine toothpaste groups there was no significant difference (p=0.071).
Conclusion: The results of a separate analysis in both groups showed that toothpaste containing herbs was able
to significantly increase salivary pH, but in the paired test there was no significant difference, it is recommended
that the intervention be carried out longer, namely two weeks