Effect of drinking water habits and oral hygiene status in elementary school children: A Quasi experimental study

Aim: To describe the effectiveness of drinking mineral water after consuming snacks in improving dental and oral hygiene of elementary school students. Materials and Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest control group design. The population of this study was 105 students selected from an elementary school in Surabaya, Indonesia. The sample size used in this research was 36 students aged 12 years old and have their first lower molars fully erupted. The sampling technique used was random sampling technique. The respondents were divided into three groups: Group 1 (eating only), Group 2 (eating and drinking), and Group 3 (eating, drinking, and gargling). Primary data were obtained from intraoral examination carried out by Debris Index (DI) with three-score category. The examination was only conducted in several tooth: posterior tooth (fully erupted tooth) and anterior tooth (upper and lower central incisors). Independent variable in this research was drinking 250 mL of mineral water, meanwhile the dependent variable was student's DI. Statistical analysis was carried out using analysis of variance correlation test and using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version17. Results: Dental and oral hygiene status group is homogeneous (P = 0.484). A significant difference was observed between variables, such as eating and drinking with gargling group (P = 0.4250), the eating and drinking group (P = 0.2250), and the control group (P = 1.4833). Conclusion: Students who regularly drink water, especially with gargling habit, have a better oral hygiene than those who do not drink regularly.