Perubahan Perilaku Pada Anak SDN Leuwigajah Mandiri 1 dengan Penilaian OHI-S menggunakan Pewarnaan Buah Bit (Beta Vulgaris)

Oral health is crucial, especially for school-aged children. The prevalence of dental and oral health problems in Indonesia reached 45.3% according to the 2018 Basic Health Research (RISKESDAS). Although 96.5% of school-age children brush their teeth daily, only 2.1% do so correctly and at the appropriate time. Using natural substances like beetroot for plaque staining can help visualize plaque and improve oral hygiene awareness. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of beetroot staining in enhancing awareness and behavior regarding oral hygiene among fifth-grade students at SDN Leuwigajah Mandiri 1. This quasi-experimental study used a pretest-posttest design. A total of 33 fifth-grade students were randomly selected. Plaque staining was performed using beetroot juice, and oral hygiene was assessed using the Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S) before and after the intervention. Education on oral hygiene was provided following the plaque staining. The mean OHI-S score before the intervention was 0.69 ± 0.64, which decreased to 0.25 ± 0.42 after the intervention. Statistical analysis using paired t-test showed a significant difference between the OHI-S scores before and after the intervention (t-value = 10.25, p-value < 0.001). The intervention of beetroot plaque staining and oral hygiene education effectively improved the oral hygiene of the students. This approach can be integrated into school dental health programs to help reduce the prevalence of dental and oral health problems among children.