The effect of Curcuma domestica Val - Tamarindus indica L mixed solution (“kunyit asam”) on microhardness and roughnessof human tooth enamel

Abstract

Nowadays,peoples tendto seekan alternative treatment from traditional plants because it is side effects relatively less than synthetic drugs. One of the famous traditional medicinedrinks in Indonesia is “kunyit asam”. People was make it with mixed both Curcuma domestica Val and Tamarindus indica L. Beside it has many advantages for health such as increasing stamina, it also has a good taste, so many people consumed it. However, the acid content in this drink maycause enamel erosion. Therefore the aim of this present study is to determine the in vitro effect of “kunyit asam” solution towards microhardness and roughness of human enamel tooth. The pH of solutionwas measure using a digital pH meter, while the calcium content measure using the Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). This study used 40 permanent maxillary first incisor that has been extracted from the patient who came to dental polyclinic of hospitals in Polewali Mandar regency, West Sulawesi Province during February 2015-April 2015 period. The roots of the teeth were removed at the cementoenamel junction. Tooth crowns placed on blocks orthoplast with labial surface facing up. Samples were randomly divided into 2 groups equally andimmersed in aquadest solution pH 7.0 (negative control) (Group I) or “kunyit asam” solution pH 3.0 (Group II) for 14, 28, 42 and 56 minutes respectively. An Universal Hardness Tester (Affri® Universal Hardness Tester, Japan) was used to measure enamel surface microhardness, while to measure enamel surface roughness wasused a Roughness Tester (Surftest 301 Mitutoyo, Japan). Both measure were done before and after immersed in solution. Data were statistically analyzed using Levene, paired-t one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Least Significance Different (LSD) tests. The results of present study showed that there was no significant difference (p>0.05) microhardness but significant differences (p<0.05) for the roughness of tooth enamelbefore and after immersion in both group. In conclusion, pH (3.0) “kunyit asam” decreased of microhardness, meanwhile it is calcium content (794.23 µg) increased roughness of human enamel tooth in vitro .