In Vitro Testing of Methanol Extract of Areca Nut (Areca Catechu) on the Inhibitory Power of Streptococcus Mutans

Caries is an infectious disease caused by Streptococcus mutans that breaks down tooth tissue by forming a structure known as dental plaque. The aims are to determine the effects of betel nut palm (Areca catechu) methanol extract on the growth of Streptococcus mutans and to identify the most effective concentration of the extract in inhibiting the growth of Streptococcus mutans. The research used a randomized complete design with 7 treatments involved. The concentrations of betel nut palm methanol extract were 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, and 5%; the positive control was amoxicillin, and the negative control was aqua. There were 5 replications for each treatment. This research used the disc diffusion method. The obtained data were analyzed statistically with one-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey test. Based on the ANOVA test, a significant difference was found (p<0.05) among the treatments of extract concentrations and controls. The analysis of the Tukey test shows that there are significant differences (p<0.05) among some treatments. Thus, the conclusion is that betel nut palm (Areca catechu) methanol extract has the ability to inhibit the growth of Streptococcus mutans.