Pemanfaatan Obat Kumur Ekstrak Ubi Jalar Ungu (Ipomoea Batatas l) Sebagai Upaya Meningkatkan pH Saliva Dalam Pencegahan Karies Gigi Pada Masyarakat Desa Kalasey II Kec.Mandolang Kab.Minahasa

Abstract

Background : The main cause of dental caries is the accumulation of plaque and bacteria. Streptococcus Mutans is one of the bacteria that causes caries because it can produce lactic acid which can remove minerals in tooth enamel and lower the pH of saliva so that tooth enamel is lost and teeth will form cavities, which is called the demineralization process. Purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L) is one of the plants that has an antibacterial effect contained in substances called anthocyanins which have active compounds including saponins, polyphenols, tannins, alkaloids, and flavonoids. The purpose of this community service activity is to utilize research technology in the form of a mouthwash containing extract of purple sweet potato (Ipomea Batatas L) as an effort to increase the pH of saliva (pH becomes alkaline) because the antibacterial properties of purple sweet potato can control the growth rate of Streptococcus bacteria. Mutans so that the results of this research can be used by the community, especially in the field of preventive dentistry. Methods: Method: pseudo-experiment with pre and post test designs carried out in May 2022 located in Kalasey II Village, Mandolang District, Minahasa Regency. The sample amounted to 20 people. Salivary pH test is measured using Saliva pH check from GC. Respondents were given pre and post tests with questionnaires to see the knowledge  about oral dental health and given purple sweet potato extract mouthwash and then measured the initial and final salivary pH. Data was tabulated and analyzed using the T test Results and Conclusions: There is an increase in knowledge among health cadres shown by an increase in pretest and posttest knowledge scores and the use of purple sweet potato extract mouthwash is also proven to increase salivary pH as indicated by an increase in salivary pH value from acidic (6.65) to neutral (7.26) so that it can be concluded that the use of purple sweet potato extract mouthwash can increase salivary pH