Kartika Indah Sari

Introduction: The aging process in elderly individuals triggers changes in the brain that can lead to a decline in cognitive function, impacting quality of life. Age-related physiological changes affect the muscles around the oral cavity and the musculoskeletal system. These changes manifest as a decrease in the mass and strength of the chewing muscles. Tooth loss further exacerbates the ability to chew. This study aims to analyze differences in handgrip strength and tooth loss between cognitively normal and impaired elderly. Methods: Observational analytic with cross-sectional design using the Mann-Whitney comparative significance test and independent sample t-test with a significance level of p<0.05 was conducted. A purposive sampling technique was applied to a population residing in Dago Village, Bandung. The inclusion criteria included elderly individuals aged ≥60 years, both male and female, able to communicate effectively, and willing to participate in the study by signing an informed consent form. Cognitive function was assessed through interviews using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), along with an examination of the number of missing teeth and hand grip strength measured with the Electronic Hand Dynamometer (Camry EH101). Analyzed data used the Mann–Whitney test. Results: A total of 34 subjects met the inclusion criteria from the total population of 71 older adults examined. The independent sample t-test for handgrip strength showed that elderly individuals with cognitive impairment had weaker handgrip strength (mean=14.250, SD=5.0285) compared to cognitively normal individuals (mean=22.281, SD=6.0204), with a p-value of 0.0001 (p<0.05). The Mann–Whitney test results for tooth loss indicated that elderly individuals with cognitive impairment experienced greater tooth loss (range=11–32 teeth, mean=20.78) compared to cognitively normal individuals (range=0–10 teeth, mean=13.81), with a p-value of 0.041 (p<0.05). Conclusion: There are differences in hand grip strength and tooth loss were found between cognitively normal and impaired elderly.

Thermophilic bacteria living in extreme areas with high temperatures are capable of producing secondary metabolites, such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). AMPs are stable at high temperatures and show good antibacterial activity. Therefore, this study aimed to identify thermophilic bacteria from the crater of Mount Tangkuban Perahu around West Java and assess antibacterial effectiveness of AMPs against Streptococcus mutans, which contribute to oral biofilm formation. The isolate obtained was identified using 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene sequencing, and the supernatant of the isolate was tested against S. mutans American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) 25175 using the disc assay method. To determine AMPs‐coding genes, its genome was uploaded to antibiotic and secondary metabolite analysis shell (antiSMASH) 5.0.0 platform and biofilm inhibition was tested using the microtiter plate technique (with a 96‐well bottom). Subsequently, the results were assessed using a microplate reader operating at 595 nm wavelength. The isolate was identified as Geobacillus subterraneus, with antibacterial activity against S. mutans, and produced an inhibition zone of 8.40 mm at an optimum pH of 8. The output of AMPs‐coding gene showed that AMPs of the isolate were a member of the lanthipeptide class I, or bacteriocin‐I group. AMPs of G. subterraneus suppressed the growth of S. mutans biofilm at a supernatant concentration of 5%, with the lowest optical density (OD) value of 0.061 and the highest percentage of biofilm growth inhibition at 28.24%. Based on the results, G. subterraneus derived from the crater of Mount Tangkuban Perahu showed potent antibacterial properties against S. mutans, making it a promising novel S. mutans anti‐biofilm candidate.

Aims. This study aimed to determine the patterns of chewing and swallowing in healthy subjects with different food textures. Methods. This cross-sectional study included 75 subjects who were asked to video record themselves while chewing different food samples of varying textures, including sweet and salty food. The food samples were coco jelly, gummy jelly, biscuit, potato crisp, and roasted nuts. A texture profile analysis test was used to measure the hardness, gumminess, and chewiness of the food samples. Chewing patterns were investigated by measuring the chewing cycle prior to the first swallow (CS1), the chewing cycle until the last swallow (CS2), and the accumulation of chewing time from the first chewing to the last swallowing (STi). Swallowing patterns were evaluated by calculating the swallowing threshold, which is the chewing time/duration prior to the first swallow (STh). The number of swallows for each food sample was also recorded. Results. There was a statistically significant difference in the CS2 of potato crisps, as well as the STi of coco jelly, gummy jelly, and biscuits between male and female subjects. A significant positive correlation was found between hardness and STh. There was a significant negative correlation between gumminess and all chewing and swallowing parameters, as well as chewiness and CS1. This study also found s significant positive correlation between dental pain, CS1, CS2, and STh of gummy jelly, as well as dental pain and CS1 of biscuits. Conclusions. Females require longer chewing time for harder foods. Food hardness is positively related to the chewing duration prior to the first swallow (swallowing threshold/STh). Food chewiness has a negative correlation with the chewing cycle prior to the first swallow (CS1). Food gumminess is inversely related to all the chewing and swallowing parameters. Dental pain is associated with an increased chewing cycle and swallowing time of hard foods.

Periodontitis is the most common condition of chronic periodontal infection and inflammation in the elderly population. Periodontal disease can cause local inflammation that contributes to higher risk of systemic inflammatory disease. Current research suggests a possible link between periodontal disease and neurodegenerative disease, such as Alzheimer’s disease. The aim of the study is to provide a profile of the periodontal tissue status in people with Alzheimer’s disease. This scoping review followed Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guideline, and the searching was conducted using PubMed, Cochrane, and EBSCOHost databases during February 6th – February 7th, 2021 with keywords of periodontal disease, periodontitis, periodontal inflammation, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. It also included MeSH terms of “periodontal disease” and “Alzheimer’s disease” if available. Additionally, snowballing technique was used to include more articles. The identification and writing process for this article followed the PRISMA-ScR framework. There were 60 articles included in this study. This scoping review shows a profile of general characteristics including decreased oral hygiene and periodontal tissue status showed by high score of plaque and calculus, gingival inflammation, high percentage of Clinical Attachment Loss (CAL), Bleeding on Probing (BOP) along with deterioration of cognitive function. There was a decreasing level of periodontal health along with the decline in cognitive function experienced by AD participants. However, further research is needed to see the mechanism of this relationship.

Introduction: Asthma or bronchial asthma is a chronic respiratory tract inflammation process involving many cells, including their elements, and can cause severe and plentiful responses from the respiratory tract. Administration of inhalation drugs is the primary medication in treating bronchial asthma. Inhalants are given appropriately with dosage and usage period based on the severity level of bronchial asthma. This research aimed to analyse the differences in the salivary flow rate, buffer, and pH, based on the length of inhalants usage in bronchial asthma patients. Methods: The research was descriptive-comparative involving 40 bronchial asthma patients (6 male and 34 female) from the Community Lung Health Center of Bandung, taken as samples using the central theorem limit sampling method. The subjects were ordered to collect their saliva in the saliva collection cups with a draining method. Then, the salivary flow rate, buffer, and pH were examined. Data distribution was tested, resulting in normally distributed data; thus, a parametric independent t-test with a significant level of 0.05 was applied. Results: Subjects in the group of inhalant usage for more than ten years had low and very low categories of salivary flow rate, buffer, and pH. There were significant differences in the salivary flow rate, buffer, and pH of the bronchial asthma patients based on their length of inhalants usage (1-5 years; >5 years–10 years; >10 years; pConclusions: There are differences in the salivary flow rate, buffer, and pH based on the length of inhalants usage in bronchial asthma patients. The longer the usage period, the lower the salivary flow rate, buffer, and pH.

Introduction: The elders are the ones that most often experience tooth loss which affects masticatory function. Masticatory function can be evaluated subjectively through masticatory ability assessment. The masticatory function is influenced by the number of posterior occluding pairs; this also may be called as functional tooth units (FTUs). The purpose of this study was to describe FTUs and masticatory ability in the elderly. Methods: This research was a descriptive study with a cross-sectional study design. Subjects were taken by purposive sampling technique. The study was conducted in the Lebakgede Sub-district, Bandung City. Data mentioned were obtained by conducting interviews regarding data on subject characteristics and questionnaires of masticatory ability, as well as examining the oral cavity to obtain FTUs data. Results: Subjects obtained were 74 people consisting of 63 women (85.14%) and 11 men (14.86%). Based on the results, the average age of the research subjects was 68.49 years, and those with good masticatory ability status were 26 elderly (35.14%) with an average FTU value of 5.9 while 48 elderly (64.86%) had poor masticatory ability status with an average FTU score of 1.5, even 31 subjects (41.89%) had a zero FTU score. Conclusion: The majority of the elderly in this research mostly had a low total FTUs score which means that the masticatory ability status in the elderly tended to be poor.

Background: The elderly are at risk of experiencing oral health problems and chewing due to tooth-loss, decreased occlusal teeth support, and decreased salivary flow rate. Objective: This study aimed to compare distribution and comparison tooth loss, the proportion of occlusal teeth support, salivary flow rate, and the choice of food texture between the normal and cognitive impairment groups. Methods: Preliminary study and cross-sectional designed method on community-dwelling elderly in Bandung City, Indonesia. The inclusion criteria were no complaint of orofacial pain, not wearing denture prostheses, good communication skills, reading and writing skills, and good physical health. Demographic data include age, gender, education, and occupation. Tooth loss distribution, the proportion of occlusal contact zone, salivary flow rate, and choice of food texture were determined. Cognitive function was measured using the mini mental short examination (MMSE) form. A Mann-Whitney test was used to compare normal and cognitive impairment groups with a significance level of p-value 0.05. The participants in both groups preferred a hard-solid food portion. Conclusion: The loss of anterior teeth is significantly different. The loss of posterior teeth appeared to be different between the elderly with cognitive impairment compared with the normal groups. The occlusal support zone, salivary flow rate, and the choice of food texture as a meal served were similar between both groups in this study.

Candida albicans (C. albicans) adalah jamur oportunistik yang pada keadaan tertentu dapat menjadi patogen di rongga mulut dan menyebakan kandidiasis oral. Penanganan kandidiasis oral umumnya menggunakan obat-obatan antifungal sintetik yang dapat menimbulkan efek samping. Kulit pisang barangan (Musa paradisiaca L.) adalah bagian yang sering dianggap tidak bermanfaat namun mengandung banyak komponen antifungal seperti alkaloid, saponin, steroid, triterpenoid, kuinon, polifenol dan flavonoid. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui aktivitas antifungal ekstrak kulit pisang barangan terhadap pertumbuhan C. albicans. Pada penelitian ini, kulit pisang barangan diekstraksi dengan metode maserasi menggunakan pelarut etanol 96%. Ekstrak kulit pisang barangan yang telah diuji fitokimia, diuji aktivitas antifungalnya menggunakan metode dilusi dengan Standard Plate Count (SPC). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ekstrak kulit Musa paradisiaca L. berpengaruh terhadap pertumbuhan C. albicans dengan konsentrasi hambat minimum (KHM) sebesar 12,5% dan Konsentrasi Bunuh Minimum sebesar 100%.Kata kunci : Candida albicans, antifungal, kulit pisang

Food texture is a response of the tactile sense to physical stimuli that result from contact between some part in the oral cavity and the food. Both animal and human studies indicated that mastication influenced cognitive functioning, hippocampus, a region in central nervous system that vital for spatial memory and learning. The purpose of this paper is to review the recent progress of the association between food texture, mastication and cognitive function. The integrity of masticatory is a response from efferent fibres to motoric fibres. Masticatory dysfunction is associated with the hippocampal morphological impairments and the hippocampus-dependent spatial memory deficits through degeneratif process, especially in elderly. The study in this field is still making an interesting subject. Hard diet can maintained cognitif function on learning and memory ability elderly. In addtion, long term ingestion of soft diet may inluence the learning and memory through hippocampal neurogenesis.