CHEWING XYLITOL GUM ON SALIVA pH IN ISLAMIC STUDENTS

Saliva is one of the important factors in maintaining dental and oral health which plays a role in the protective function. The protective function is carried out by increasing the secretion of air which can be enlarged through the flow rate, volume, pH and viscosity. Chewing xylitol gum is an alternative that has been proven to be quite effective in cleaning teeth from debris and plaque, preventing periodontal disease, increasing salivary pH, and expelling saliva. Objective : This study aims to determine the effect of chewing xylitol gum on salivary pH in students in Pakuleat Hamlet, Banjarsari Village, Jatinunggal District, Sumedang Regency. This type of research is a type of clinical research with a pretest-posttest experimental design, the sampling method in this study uses a purposive sampling technique. The subjects of this study found 72 people with an age range of 12-19 years. The first saliva collection was carried out before chewing xylitol gum. The second saliva collection was carried out after the subject chewed 2 pieces of xylitol gum for ± 5 minutes. Salivary pH measurement using a pH meter. Results : The average salivary pH before chewing xylitol gum was 7.2 and before was 7.9. The T-test for the occurrence of pairs with p=0.005 (p0.05) showed an increase in salivary pH before chewing xylitol candy. Conclusion: Based on the research conducted, it can be concluded that chewing xylitol gum can increase the pH of saliva.