The Correlation Between The Habit Of Chewing Betel And Dental Caries Incidence In The Elderly In The Area Of Public Health Centre Tegallalang II
Ni Putu Nova Widiartini, I Gede Putu Darma Suyasa, Idah Ayu wulandari
Institute of Technology and Health Bali
Abstract
Dental caries (tooth hole) occurs mostly at the age of 65-75 years. Balinese older people belief that chewing betel reduce dental caries. Literature review indicates that chewing betel results in liquid production that inhibit the development of the main bacteria causing dental caries, namely Streptococcus mutans bacteria. However, little has been done to evaluate its effectiveness. This study aimed to analyze the correlation between the habit of chewing betel and dental caries of the elderly living in the area of Public Health Centre (PHC) Tegallalang II. This was a correlational analytic study with cross-sectional approach. Respondents were 227 elderly selected by multistage random sampling among 2,912 elderly. The data were collected by using a self-constructed questionnaire and observation sheet on dental carries which was developed by WHO. Findings indicated that 49.8% of respondents were female and 50.2% of respondents were male, aged between 60 – 90 years old. Spearman-s rho showed there was a negative and medium correlation between the habit of chewing betel and dental caries of elderly, r=-0.215, n=227, p=0.03, with high level of chewing habit score associated with reduction in dental caries. The elderly who are used to chew betel are suggested to remain doing it and maintain their oral hygiene by doing tooth brushing regularly, at least twice daily.
Keywords: Habit of Chewing Betel, Dental Caries, Elderly
Topic: Education and Learning