Depok, October 21st 2023. Student of the Master of Community Dentistry Study Program (IKGKom), Faculty of Dentistry (FKG), Universitas Indonesia (UI), drg. Bunga Hasnah Adilah emerged as the first winner in the International Oral Presentation, namely the 17th International Dental Collaboration of The Mekong River Region (IDCMR) 2023 scientific competition. This victory was achieved thanks to her research entitled “Assessing the Validity and Reliability of Smartphone Photography as a School Based Dental Caries Screening Tool”. She excelled among other participants from China, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia.
This activity took place on 12th-15th of October 2023 at the Aloft Hotel, Langkawi, Malaysia. drg. Bunga conveyed the idea of her research results related to assessing the validity and reliability of smartphone photography using intra-oral photos for remote dental caries screening with research objects, namely junior high school (SMP) students. In this cross-sectional study, students aged 13-15 years were examined for dental caries using the DMF-T (Decay Missing Filled-Teeth) index.
The results, from 141 participating subjects, with 705 photos of 3804 teeth, were able to provide an overview of the number of caries sufferers with high validity and reliability. This was conveyed directly in front of the jury, namely the Dean of Faculty of Odonto-Stomatology, Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Khue Nhut Truong; and Lecturer of the Dental Faculty, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Malaysia, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mas Suryalis Ahmad.
“The use of smartphone photography with testing capabilities that are in accordance with this examination protocol has the potential to be an alternative dental caries screening tool, especially for the UKGS (School Dental Health Effort) program. Therefore, reducing the resources and costs of the dental caries examination program, expanding the scope of screening and skirting dental caries can be more efficient,” said drg. Bunga.
She added that this innovation comes with the motivation to reduce the number of caries sufferers in Indonesia. According to 2023 Ministry of Health data, the number of children in the 5-9 year age group who experienced similar tooth decay was 54.0%. Then, the average index of dental caries in children aged 10-12 years was 1.89% and in adults it was 24%. Dental caries is a disease of the hard tissue of the teeth, namely enamel, dentin and cementum, which is caused by the activity of microorganisms contained in fermented carbohydrates.
The beginning of cavity is marked by the dissolution of the enamel surface due to acids resulting from carbohydrate metabolism processed by germs. Against this background, drg. Bunga conducted a comprehensive study and analysis with her supervisors, namely Prof. drg. Anton Rahardjo, M.K.M., Ph.D.; Prof. drg. Armasastra Bahar, Ph.D.; drg. Atik Ramadhani, Ph.D.; and drg. Melissa Adiatman, Ph.D.
Meanwhile, the Dean of FKG UI, Dr. drg. Nia Ayu Ismaniati, MDSc., Sp.Ort(K)., expressed her pride in the achievements made by one of her students. “This proves that FKG UI students are not only superior scientifically, but have also proven their competence to become future innovators in the field of Dentistry. “Hopefully, the idea of using smartphone photography can be a solution for early prevention of dental caries sufferers and support the government in realizing a caries-free Indonesia by 2030,” said Dr. drg. Nia.
