| dc.description.abstract | Betel leaf chewing is common among Karo women in North Sumatra. The
composition of betel leaf chewing consists of betel leaves, lime, gambier, areca nut and
tobacco. The positive effect of betel leaf chewing on oral health is that it freshens breath
and inhibits the development of bacteria that cause dental caries. The negative effects
of betel leaf chewing are oral leukoplakia lesions, submucosal fibrosis, squamous cell
carcinoma, lichenoid lesions, discoloration of the oral mucosa, periodontal disease, and
oral cancer. This study aims to determine and analyze changes in the epithelial cells of
the buccal mucosa of the oral cavity in women with betel leaf chewing habit from the
Karo tribe in North Sumatra. This research method is descriptive with a cross sectional
design. The research sample is 35 peoples consist of 34 woman with betel leaf chewing
habit and 1 non betel leaf chewing in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion
criteria. Sampling of buccal mucosal epithelial cells was carried out using a cytobrush
in Pancur Batu and Toluidine Blue staining was carried out in the Anatomical
Pathology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of North Sumatra. Data
processing is carried out using a computerized system. The analysis test used
descriptive tests. The results of the analysis in this study showed that 34 respondents
(97.1%) betel leaf chewing, 16 respondents (45.7%) betel leaf chewing for > 10 years,
18 respondents (51.4%) betel leaf chewing > 10 times/day and 34 respondents (97.1%)
experienced changes oral cavity epithelium. There was a relationship between betel
leaf chewing behavior and changes in the oral mucosal epithelium (p=0.029), but there
was no relationship between the duration (p=0.071) and the frequency of betel leaf
chewing (p=0.66) and age (p=0.144) with changes in the oral mucosa epithelium. It
can be concluded that betel leaf chewing behavior can cause changes in the oral
mucosal epithelium, but this is not influenced by the duration and the frequency of
betel leaf chewing and respondent’s age. | en_US |
