LARUTAN EKSTRAK SIWAK (SALVADORA PERSICA) SEBAGAI BAHAN DESINFEKTAN DAPAT MENURUNKAN JUMLAH KOLONI STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANS PADA HASIL CETAKAN ALGINAT

Impression is the initial stage in the manufacture of dentures. The most commonly
used impression material in dentistry is alginate. During the process, contamination of
microorganisms must be considered which can lead to cross-contamination of dentists and
laboratory staff. Streptococcus mutans is the bacterium that is often found in the oral cavity
which can cause cross-infection. In order to prevent cross infection, disinfection of the
impression can be carried out with chemical or natural disinfectants. The chemical
disinfectant that is often used is 2% glutaraldehyde an aldehyde group that has a strong
antibacterial property and it is proven to be able to eliminate bacteria and viruses. Natural
ingredients that can be used as a disinfectant is siwak plant. Siwak contains antibacterials
such as tannins, saponins, salvadorin, terpenoids and alkaloids. The aim of this study was
to determine the effect of siwak extract solution as a disinfectant with various
concentrations on the number of Streptococcus mutans colonies on alginate impressions.
The experimental design of this study was a post test only control group design with a total
sample of 25 divided into 5 groups. Alginate impression that had been contaminated with
Streptococcus mutans bacteria and then soaked for 15 minutes using siwak extract with
concentrations of 15%, 25% and 50% with glutaraldehyde as a positive control and
aquadest as a negative control. The calculation of the number of colonies was carried out
by using Colony Forming Unit (CFU) which was calculated by using a colony counter. The
results of statistical calculations by using Kruskall Wallis test showed that there were
significant differences between the treatment group and the control group (p<0,05). The
Mann Whitney U test result in almost all comparison groups showed a significant
difference (p<0,05) except for the comparison between groups of 25%, 50% extract and a
positive control group. The conclusion of this study was that 15%, 25% and 50% siwak
extract solutions could reduce the number of Streptococcus mutans colonies which the
most effective solutions were 25% and 50% extracts.