Pengaruh air kelapa terhadap peningkatan pH saliva

Abstract: Dental caries is a disease that attacks the hard tooth tissue. One of the causes of dental caries is the acidogenic bacteria. The bacterial growth is influenced by the condition of oral cavity such as the pH of saliva. The acidity of salivary pH causes increased growth of bacteria resulted in higher risk of caries. Various methods are used to reduce the risk of dental caries. One of them is the usage of natural materials that contain calcium such as coconut water (Cocos nucifera L.) that can help the remineralization process, therefore, can pH of saliva will increase. This study was aimed to determine whether the coconut water and improve the pH of saliva. This was a quasi experimental study with a pretest and posttest group design. There were 30 people as samples. Salivary pH measurements were done three times in each sample as follows: normal saliva, saliva after consumption of bread, and saliva after drinking coconut water. Salivary pH was measured with a pH meter. The results showed that coconut water did not increase the pH of saliva because its pH was acid and its sugar content lowered the pH of saliva.Keywords: salivary pH, coconut water, dental caries, coconut water to pH of saliva Abstrak: Penyakit karies gigi merupakan penyakit yang menyerang jaringan keras gigi. Penyebab terjadinya karies gigi di antaranya ialah bakteri asidogenik. Pertumbuhan bakteri ini dipengaruhi keadaan rongga mulut seperti pH saliva. pH saliva yang asam menyebabkan pertumbuhan bakteri semakin meningkat dengan risiko karies semakin tinggi. Berbagai cara dilakukan untuk menurunkan risiko terjadinya karies gigi di antaranya dengan memanfaatkan bahan dari alam yang memiliki kandungan kalsium seperti air kelapa (Cocos nucifera L.) yang dapat membantu proses remineralisasi sehingga diduga dapat meningkatkan pH saliva. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui apakah air kelapa dapat meningkatkan pH saliva. Jenis penelitian ialah kuasi eksperimental dengan pretest and post test group design. Sampel penelitian ini sebanyak 30 orang. Pengukuran pH saliva dilakukan sebanyak tiga kali pada tiap sampel, yaitu saliva normal, saliva setelah mengonsumsi roti, dan saliva setelah meminum air kelapa. Pengukuran pH saliva menggunakan pH meter. Hasil penelitian mendapatkan air kelapa tidak dapat meningkatkan pH saliva karena pH kelapa yang asam serta kandungan gula di dalamnya yang menyebabkan pH saliva menjadi turun. Kata kunci: pH saliva, air kelapa, karies gigi, air kelapa terhadap pH saliva