The Effectiveness of Salt Solution Gargle to Reduce Pain through Monitoring the PUFA Index at Dr. Dradjat Prawiranegara Serang, Banten in 2018

Background: Dental caries is a non-communicable disease but can affect human life. Most untreated dental caries have a significant impact on general health, quality of life, productivity, and also education. To assess the severity of untreated caries, the PUFA / pufa index (pulp, ulceration, fistula, abscess) was used. Untreated dental caries will continue to affect the pulp tissue which can cause pain due to irritation of the nerve fibers in the pulp where this pain can be started from the lowest level (rheumatic pain) to the highest level, namely a throbbing feeling which can interfere with activities. Many ordinary people use a saltwater solution to reduce pain, but whether it is effective enough to use the salt solution still needs to be proven. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of salt solution mouthwash to reduce pain through monitoring the PUFA index at dr. Dradjat Prawiranegara, Serang, Banten, in 2018. Methods: This study used a quasi-experimental design by performing a dental examination (PUFA index), and conducting treatment with salt solution gargles, the number of samples was 74 respondents. Results: The results of data analysis showed a decrease in pain. Before rinsing the salt solution and afterward, the significance value of p-value = 0.000 means that gargling saline solution can reduce pain due to toothache. Conclusion: The use of saline solution to reduce pain due to tooth decay is proven to be quite effective so that it can be used by the general public before they get treatment from professionals to treat tooth problems and without causing negative effects from using the salt solution