The high incidence of caries among children in Indonesia has drawn the attention of five students from the UGM Faculty of Dentistry (FKG UGM). These students have researched chewing gum containing dragon fruit peel extract to detect and remove tooth plaque as an innovative approach to caries prevention.
The research on the chewing gum named “Draco-chew” was carried out by Fatimah Islamia, Tyasadwi Bumi, Lutfia Nur Shabrina, Desika Yuspina Nurhidayah, and Dyza Fathmasari Danisworo, all of whom are students from the 2023 batch of FKG UGM, under the guidance of Dr. Alma Linggar Jonarta from FKG UGM Oral Biology Department.
This research received funding from the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology through the 2024 Student Creativity Program in Exact Science Research (PKM-RE).
Regarding the name “Draco-chew,” Islamia explained that it combines the term “dragon fruit” (the source of the extract) with “chewing.”
She mentioned that the product’s development was driven by the caries problem, which affects more than half of the global population. In Indonesia, tooth decay is the most prevalent dental issue.
“This gum is intended as an educational tool, especially for elementary school children under parental supervision, to be used before brushing and before bedtime, so they can see the plaque on their teeth and brush immediately,” Islamia said in a statement to the press on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024.
Islamia explained that dragon fruit peel and flesh (Hylocereus polyrhizus) contain the red pigment betacyanin. Betacyanin is a natural food coloring that is safer than synthetic colorants and has antibacterial properties.
“The coloring ability of betacyanin and its antibacterial properties make dragon fruit peel and flesh potentially valuable in dentistry,” she elaborated.
Draco-chew has been tested in vitro on tooth plaque cultures, including observations of color adhesion to the plaque and the gum’s plaque adhesion capability.
The intensity of the dragon fruit extract’s color was compared with that of a disclosing solution, a standard plaque dye used in dentistry.
“Betacyanin in the dragon fruit peel extract can color the tooth plaque, making it easier for people to detect plaque on areas of the teeth not reached by a toothbrush,” Shabrina, another team member, explained.
Shabrina noted that chewing gum can increase saliva production, which helps clean the oral cavity and remove immature tooth plaque.
Thus, dragon fruit peel extract chewing gum has multiple uses: it detects or colors plaque, helps remove plaque and increases saliva production.
Although this is an initial study, further research is needed to improve the composition of Draco-chew gum and conduct additional tests to ensure safety and suitability for public consumption.
However, this innovation has the potential for mass production and could help improve brushing habits and prevent caries.
“The gum is tested for toxicity and other factors so the public can widely use it. We hope it will help reduce tooth decay cases, especially among children,” she concluded.
Author: Lintang
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang