The correlation between stunting and oral health has been widely documented in various literatures. Malnutrition in children is related to hypofunction of the salivary glands which increases the risk of dental caries (cavities). The presence of dental and oral problems causes children’s nutritional intake to be disrupted due to difficulty chewing.
Based on this problem, Universitas Indonesia (UI), through the Faculty of Dentistry (FKG), conducted community service (pengmas) on Pramuka Island, Seribu Islands, DKI Jakarta. The community service was carried out in two places, namely the Tanjung Elang Child-Friendly Integrated Public Space (RPTRA) and SDN Pulau Panggang 02 Pagi. The head of the activity proposer was Dr. Dewa Ayu Nyoman Putri Artiningsih., drg. SpKG (K)., who is also the Head of the Dentistry Profession Study Program (Prodi) FKG UI, accompanied by the Deputy Chair of the Proposer, drg. Melissa Adiatman, Ph.D .; Chief Executive, drg. Dimas Raihan Aditya; and 23 new graduate dentists and other young dentists.
The team conducted counseling on the relationship between dental and oral health and stunting, attended by 14 members of the PKK Cadre or Healthy Kitchen Team and 11 parents of children who had been detected as stunting. The Tanjung Elang RPTRA counseling was continued with a question and answer session so that participants could understand more about the counseling topic. Some of them also consulted about the dental and oral health problems they were experiencing.
At the same time, this community service activity was also carried out at SDN 02 Pulau Panggang Pagi which was attended by 207 students from grades 1 to 6 of elementary school. The activity began with counseling, Sikat Gigi Bersama (SIGIBER) in each class, and ended with examination and treatment of children’s teeth. During the counseling, students were explained the importance of maintaining oral hygiene and health and were taught how to brush their teeth properly.
To increase student participation, the FKG UI Community Service Team created a song about brushing teeth that was interesting for elementary school students so that they could easily memorize the technique of brushing their teeth and could apply it in their daily lives. Then, to ensure the program is sustainable, homeroom teachers are also given training so that later the homeroom teachers can guide their students.
To help visualize how to brush teeth, this activity is also facilitated with a dental education model along with a toothbrush. In addition, in the SIGIBER activity, students receive a gift in the form of a toothbrush, toothpaste, and stationery.
Next, students are directed to the examination and treatment room. The examination is carried out by a new graduate dentist and a young dentist. According to the indications, the treatment given is in the form of applying Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) to children with cavities, Fluoride Varnish to children whose teeth do not have cavities, and tooth extraction to children with persistent deciduous teeth (not falling out even though their permanent teeth have grown).
The application of SDF aims to stop the progression/development of cavities so that they do not become larger or deeper. Meanwhile, fluoride varnish is applied to strengthen the teeth’s resistance to acid so that they are not susceptible to cavities. This examination and treatment activity is supervised directly by Dr. Dewa Ayu Nyoman Putri Artiningsih. drg, Sp.KG(K) and drg. Melissa Adiatman, Ph.D. During the examination and treatment, the homeroom teacher accompanied the students.
In addition to the students, the distribution of toothpaste and toothbrushes was also given to the local community. The FKG UI Community Service Team rode a local odong-odong to tour the island and distributed 300 tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes to all residents met along the way.
“By holding this community service activity, the people of Pramuka Island can realize and understand the importance of maintaining dental and oral health and its impact on preventing stunting. This activity shows the commitment of the FKG UI Dentistry Profession Study Program to dental and oral health efforts in terms of promotive, preventive, and curative efforts. This activity is expected to be an inspiration to continue to develop sustainable community service programs and provide a positive impact on the wider community,” said Dr. Dewa Ayu.
