Relationship between Water Quality in Coal Mine Voids and Dental Health

Abstract

Dental and oral health is a major challenge in East Kalimantan, and nearly 73% of the population has problems with oral health. Water quality is an important factor that causes tooth decay through enamel demineralization. In the context of coal mining, high water acidity is primarily due to the presence of pyrite sulfide minerals and low fluoride ion content. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the relationship between water quality, oral hygiene (OHIS), and the level of dental health in people who consume post-mining void water. The method was analytic observation with a cross-sectional approach, and the instruments used were the oral hygiene index, dental caries index, acidity level of water, and fluorine content test. The population included people who lived in void water areas after coal mining, and the sample included post-coal mining void water users. The sample was selected using a purposive sampling method with inclusion and exclusion criteria. The dependent variable was dental caries, whereas the independent variables were post-mining void acid water, fluorine content, and oral hygiene. The procedure of this study included testing water samples at the location with a pH meter, testing the fluorine content in the laboratory using spectrophotometry, examining oral hygiene with the oral hygiene index, and assessing tooth decay with the DMFT index. The results showed that there was a relationship between the level of acidity (pH), fluorine content, oral hygiene, and the level of dental health (DMFT) in people who use coal mine void water.