ABSTRACTCOMPARISON BETWEEN THE EFFICACY OF HERBAL AND NON HERBAL TOOTHPASTE ON PLAQUE INDEX REDUCTION IN STUDENTS OF ANGSAU 4 PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PELAIHARI TANAH LAUT REGENCY SOUTH KALIMANTAN

Rizki Yulita Rahmah

Plaque control is an attempt to remove and prevent the plaque accumulation on the tooth surface. Brushing teeth is an effective method in controlling plaque. Plaque control is equipped by additional active ingredients in the form of toothpaste. The addition of herbal ingredients in toothpaste, is expected to inhibit the growth of plaque because it has ability to inhibit the growth of microbes. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of herbal toothpaste and non herbal toothpaste to reduce plaque index. This study was a quasi experimental design using a nonrandomized control group pretest-posttest. Samples were taken by purposive sampling method. Treatment was conducted by samples brushed their teeth using non-herbal toothpaste twice a day for 5 days, then they underwent washing periods for 7 weeks, and re-treated brushed their teeth with herbal toothpaste for 5 days. Index plaque in each treatment recorded by Patient Hygiene Performance (PHP) methods. The result showed that mean plaque index before treatment was 2.78 and mean plaque index after brushed teeth with non- herbal toothpaste and herbal toothpaste respectively 2.19 and 1.47. Mann-Whitney statistical test showed p=0.000 (p