EFEKTIFITAS EKSTRAK ETANOL DAUN POHON PULAI (Alstonia scholaris) DALAM MENGHAMBAT BAKTERI STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANS

Streptococcus mutans is the main bacterium that causes dental caries. The use of natural materials as alternative antibacterial agents continues to be developed, one of which is pulai leaves (Alstonia scholaris), which contain secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and terpenoids. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of ethanol extract of pulai leaves (Alstonia scholaris) in inhibiting the growth of Streptococcus mutans. This study used a quasi-experimental design with the disc diffusion method. The independent variable was ethanol extract of pulai leaves at concentrations of 25%, 35%, and 45%, while the dependent variable was the diameter of the inhibition zone of Streptococcus mutans. Each treatment group was conducted with 9 repetitions. The data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, Levene Test, One-Way ANOVA, and Bonferroni Post Hoc test. The results showed that the mean inhibition zone diameters at concentrations of 25%, 35%, and 45% were 9.31 mm, 9.66 mm, and 10.35 mm, respectively, while the positive control ciprofloxacin was 23.81 mm. The One-Way ANOVA test showed a significant difference among the treatment groups (p=0.000). The Bonferroni Post Hoc test showed no significant difference between the concentrations of 25%, 35%, and 45% (p>0.05). The conclusion of this study is that ethanol extract of pulai leaves (Alstonia scholaris) is able to inhibit the growth of Streptococcus mutans, but its effectiveness is still lower than ciprofloxacin. The 25% concentration has shown antibacterial activity equivalent to the higher concentrations