COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF APPLE AND JICAMA CHEWING ON DEBRIS INDEX REDUCTION IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

High prevalence of oral health problems in Indonesia is frequently triggered by debris accumulation on tooth surfaces. Mechanical self-cleansing through chewing fibrous and water-rich fruits such as apples and jicama serves as a natural approach to improving oral hygiene. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the differences in the debris index before and after chewing apples and jicama among fifth-grade students at SDN 07 Teladan Bukittinggi. A quasi-experimental research design with a pretest-posttest approach was conducted involving 50 fifth-grade students selected through total sampling. Participants were divided into two equal groups of 25: one group chewed 100 grams of apple and the other chewed 100 grams of jicama, following a standardized 32-cycle bilateral chewing protocol. Debris index was assessed using the Green and Vermillion criteria before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using Paired Sample T-Test and Independent Sample T-Test with a significance level of α = 0.05. Chewing apples significantly decreased the mean debris index from 1.576 (moderate) to 0.620 (good) with a mean reduction of 0.956 (p = 0.000). Similarly, chewing jicama significantly reduced the mean debris index from 1.528 (moderate) to 0.556 (good) with a mean reduction of 0.972 (p = 0.000). However, the Independent Sample T-Test revealed no statistically significant difference in debris index reduction between the two fruit groups (p = 0.893). Both apple and jicama chewing are equally effective as natural self-cleansing mechanisms in significantly lowering the debris index in elementary school students. Incorporating fibrous fruit consumption is highly recommended as a practical preventive measure for maintaining children's oral hygiene