Evaluasi Perbedaan Laju Aliran Saliva antara Pengunyahan Tebu (Saccharum officinarum L.) dan Permen Karet Berxylitol pada Anak di Panti Asuhan Amal Alwashliyah

Abstract

Saliva is a fluid that plays a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of the oral cavity. Xylitol is a non fermented sugar alcohol that can not be converted into acid by bacteria in the oral cavity. The mechanical movement of Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) when chewing can have a self cleaning effect on the surface of the teeth. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the comparison of salivary flow rate between chewing xylitol gum and sugarcane gum in children. A quantitative study using a quasi-experimental study method with a pre and post-test with control group design was used in this research. The sampling technique used in this study is purposive sampling, involving 30 children aged 6-12 years from the Amal Alwashliyah Orphanage who meet the inclusion criteria. Data analysis was performed using Wilcoxon and Mann Whitney test. The results showed that the increase in saliva flow rate after chewing sugarcane was 0,81±0,20 and after chewing parafin was 0,51±0,52, lower than the increase in saliva flow rate after chewing xylitol gum of 0,86±0,37. The conclusion of this study was that there was significant difference in effectiveness between chewing sugarcane with xylitol gum from the first to the fifth day and chewing parafin on the fifth day, meanwhile there was no significant difference for chewing parafin on the first day. There was significant difference in saliva flow rate of chewing sugarcane with parafin (p=0,002) and xylitol with parafin (p=0,003) while there was no significant difference in saliva flow rate of chewing sugarcane with xylitol (p=0,784). There was no significant difference in salivary flow rate of chewing sugarcane (p=0,180), xylitol gum (p=0,595) and parafin (p=0,429) between boys and girls.