Abstrak
Karies gigi adalah salah satu penyakit menular kronis yang paling
umum pada anak-anak usia prasekolah. Bentuk agresif karies gigi pada gigi sulung anak
di bawah, sampai dengan usia 71 bulan disebut dengan Early Childhood Caries (ECC).
Indonesia melaporkan prevalensi dan keparahan ECC yang tinggi hingga mencapai angka
90%. DKI Jakarta memiliki prevalensi sebesar 81,2%. Faktor risiko utama ECC yaitu
host (gigi dan saliva), mikroorganisme kariogenik, dan karbohidrat (substrat).
Mikroorganisme kariogenik yang berperan yaitu Streptococcus mutans. Penelitian di
Jakarta pada anak usia 3-5 tahun yang memiliki karies, menunjukkan bahwa serotipe f
merupakan jenis yang paling banyak di temukan (85,5%), diikuti dengan serotipe c
(74,2%), serotipe e (22,6%) dan serotipe d (19,4%). Penelitian lainnya di Jakarta
menemukan bahwa kombinasi serotipe c dan f lebih tinggi pada anak yang memiliki
karies. Streptococcus mutans serotipe c dan f berperan dalam patogenesis karies gigi, hal
tersebut sesuai dengan tingginya tingkat karies gigi di Indonesia. Salah satu faktor host
yaitu saliva, merupakan cairan tubuh yang kompleks yang terdiri dari unsur-unsur
organik dan anorganik yang penting untuk kesehatan rongga mulut. Komposisi protein
saliva seperti Lactoferrin sangat penting karena memiliki kemampuan antibakteri serta
berperan dalam sistem imun bawaan dan adaptif. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk
menganalisis kadar Lactoferrin saliva antara anak Early Childhood Caries (ECC) dan
bebas karies pada usia 3-5 tahun. Metode penelitian: Desain penelitian ini adalah potong
lintang analitik secara laboratorik. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada 14 anak dengan ECC
dan 14 anak bebas karies. Saliva didapat dari seluruh subjek dan kadar LF diukur
menggunakan metode ELISA sandwich. Hasil: Analisis data menggunakan uji Mann
Whitney U menunjukkan terdapat perbedaan bermakna antara kadar Lactoferrin anak
ECC dan anak bebas karies dengan nilai p=0,006 (p<0,05). Kesimpulan: Kadar
Lactoferrin saliva anak Early Childhood Caries (ECC) lebih tinggi dari anak bebas karies
yang menunjukkan bahwa Lactoferrin dapat menjadi indikator peningkatan risiko Early
Childhood Caries (ECC).
Backgrounds: Dental caries is one of the most common chronic infectious diseases in
preschool children. The aggressive form of dental caries in the primary teeth of children
under and up to the age of 71 months is called Early Childhood Caries (ECC). Indonesia
reports a high prevalence and severity of ECC (90%). DKI Jakarta has a prevalence
81.2%. The main risk factors for ECC are hosts (teeth and saliva), cariogenic
microorganisms, and carbohydrates (substrates). The cariogenic microorganisms that
play a role are Streptococcus mutans. Research in Jakarta on children aged 3-5 years who
had caries, showed that serotype f was the most common type (85.5%), followed by
serotype c (74.2%), serotype e (22.6%) and serotype d (19.4%). Another study in Jakarta
found that the combination of serotypes c and f was higher in children with caries.
Streptococcus mutans serotypes c and f play a role in the pathogenesis of dental caries,
which is consistent with the high level of dental caries in Indonesia. One of host factor,
saliva, is a complex body fluid consist of organic and inorganic elements that are
important for oral health. Salivary protein such as Lactoferrin is very important because
it has antibacterial ability and plays an important role in innate and adaptive immune
system. The purpose of this study is to analyze Lactoferrin levels between Early
Childhood Caries (ECC) and caries-free children aged 3-5 years. Methods: The design
of this study is cross-sectional analytical laboratory. This study was conducted on 14
children with ECC and 14 caries-free children. Saliva were taken from all subjects and the
Lactoferrin levels were measured using ELISA sandwich method. Results: Data analysis
using the Mann Whitney U test showed that there were significant differences between
the levels of salivary Lactoferrin in children with ECC and caries-free children with pvalue
0,006 (p<0,05). Conclusion: Salivary Lactoferrin levels in Early Childhood
Caries (ECC) were higher than caries-free children which indicate that Lactoferrin can
be an indicator of an increased risk of Early Childhood Caries (ECC).
