Chewing yam fruit (Pachyrhizus erosus) as an effort to reduce index debris in elementary school children

Abstract

Oral health is an integral component of general health. The prevalence of dental caries in Indonesia is around 90% of the 238 million Indonesian population and the number of children aged 15 years and under who suffer from dental caries reaches 76.5%. Eating fibrous foods such as fruits can help clean teeth, one of which is yam fruit. The purpose of this study was to determine the debris index score before and after eating yam in elementary school children. This research method is quasi experimental. This research was conducted with a population of 61 students obtained by using a total sampling technique. The instrument used in this study was a debris index examination sheet. Results: before eating yam fruit, 3 students (4.9%) had good index debris criteria, 28 students (45.9%) moderate index debris criteria, 30 students (49, 9%) had bad index debris criteria (49, 2%) and after chewing yam fruit, 47 students (77%) had good debris index criteria, 14 students (23%) had moderate debris index criteria and there were no students with bad index debris criteria. The results of the paired sample test analysis obtained a p-value of 0.001. Conclusion: Chewing yam fruit can reduce index debris in elementary school children. Keywords: Chewing yam fruit, index debris, children