Effect of Cariogenic Food Consumption on Caries Rate and Plaque Index: A Cross-Sectional Study

Islamic boarding schools are places where students can study religion and live as if they were at home. Regarding food consumption, Islamic boarding school students have the habit of purchasing sugary (cariogenic) foods outside the boarding school. Based on the results of the dental caries examination at the Darussalam Islamic Boarding School, Semarang Regency, 5% of students were caries-free, and 10% had an excellent OHIS. This study aimed to determine the relationship between cariogenic food consumption and caries rates and plaque index in Islamic boarding school students aged 7-11 in Semarang Regency. This type of research is observational with a cross-sectional approach. The number of samples was 136 Islamic boarding school students, aged 7-11, in Semarang Regency. The research instrument used was a cariogenic questionnaire that had been tested for reliability with Cronbach's Alpha > 0.60, namely R = 0.725. The Kendall Tau test was used to analyze the data. The statistical tests showed that cariogenic food and caries condition (DMF-T) consumption was 0.000, whereas cariogenic food and plaque index was 0.000. This indicates a significant relationship between cariogenic food consumption, caries condition (DMF-T), and plaque index in Islamic boarding school students in Semarang Regency. Therefore, it is hoped that students can reduce their consumption of cariogenic foods in order to be free from plaque and caries.