Hubungan Budaya Menyirih pada Masyarakat Melayu terhadap Status Kesehatan Jaringan Periodontal di Kabupaten Batu Bara

Abstract

Behavior in chewing betel leaves still occurs in the Melayunese community. They believe that it can make them healthy and strengthen their teeth. However, it can also have side-effect which can damage periodontal tissues. The objective of the research is to find out the correlation between the behavior of chewing betel leaves in the Melayunese community and the health status of periodontal tissues in Batu Bara Regency. The research employs the quantitative correlation method. The samples are 30 respondents, taken by using a total sampling technique. The data are gathered by distributing questionnaires on demography and behavior of chewing betel leaves and conducting observation on periodontal. The Spearman test is done to find the correlation between two variables. The result of the research shows that there is a correlation between the behavior of chewing betel leaves and the health status of periodontal tissues, in the frequency of chewing betel leaves at p-value = 0.000 (p<0.005). It is recommended that those who chew betel leaves keep their healthy periodontal tissues by taking care of and cleaning up their periodontal tissues.