Tooth discoloration especially in the maxillary anterior teeth can cause aesthetic problems for many people. Tooth discoloration can be removed through conservative treatment. One of them is through dental bleaching. Teeth whitening using chemicals can cause side effects on the hard tissue of the teeth and soft tissue. Pineapple weevil was chosen as an alternative material for natural teeth whitening because the enzyme content of bromelain and organic acids can whiten teeth. The low pH value on pineapple weevils results in the demineralization process. The demineralization process that occurs continuously can reduce the micro-hardness of tooth enamel. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of pineapple hump ethanol extract gel (Ananas comosus L.) as a tooth whitening agent on the micro-hardness of tooth enamel. This study used a quasi-experimental method with a pre-post test controlled group design, with a total sample of 30 maxillary permanent incisors divided into 6 groups. Treatment in the concentration group was carried out by applying ethanol extract gel of pineapple weevil on the median 1/3 of the maxillary labial incisors. The positive control group was rubbed with 16% carbamide peroxide gel on the median 1/3 of the maxillary labial incisors. The negative control group was immersed using 5 mL of distilled water. All samples were treated for 6 hours within 14 days. Tooth enamel microhardness was measured using a Micro Vickers Hardness tester at the beginning and at the end of the treatment. Data were analyzed statistically with the dependent t-test followed by the One way ANOVA test. The results showed that there was a significant decrease in the value of the micro-hardness of enamel before and after treatment with ethanol extract gel of pineapple hump (Ananas comosus L.) with a concentration of 25%, the value of the reduction was 34.73 (p = 0.004), 50% the value of the reduction was 25.59. (p = 0.000), 75% of the value of the decline is 26.23 (p = 0.000), and 100% of the value of the decline is 36.27 (p = 0.043). In this study, it can be concluded that the ethanol extract gel of pineapple hump (Ananas comosus L.) as a tooth whitening agent has an effect in reducing the micro hardness of tooth enamel.
Key words: pineapple weevil, micro hardness, tooth enamel