Bilimbi Fruit (Averrhoa bilimbi) as Toothpaste

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Poor oral hygiene can lead to tooth decays and gum diseases. According to the Department of Health, oral disease is one of the serious public health problems in the Philippines. About 78% of Filipinos have gum diseases and around 92.4 % have tooth decay. These problems can be prevented by having proper oral hygiene which includes a regular dental care routine with the use of toothbrush and various type of toothpaste especially the natural and organic ones. This study is concerned with producing a toothpaste out of Bilimbi extract and evaluate its physical characteristics such as odor, viscosity, and color.

METHODS

The bilimbi fruits were cleansed with tap water and cut into halves. Then, 50g of bilimbi were blended with 100ml of water. The water extraction method was used to obtain the extract. After blending, filtration was conducted using a white cloth then stored in the freezer at 0°C. For the toothpaste base, ¼ cup of baking soda, 3 tbsp. of Stevia Powder and a cup of virgin coconut oil were mixed together. Different amounts of bilimbi extract, 2.5ml, 5ml, and 7.5ml, were added then stored in three different containers. The general acceptability of the produced toothpaste in terms of its physical properties such as viscosity, odor, and the color was evaluated by 30 respondents.

RESULTS

Results of the comparisons of the general acceptability ratings of the respondents in terms of its viscosity, odor, and color show that the best treatment among the three treatments -treatment 1 with 2.5ml of extract, treatment 2 with 5ml of extract and treatment 3 with 7.5ml of extract -is treatment2. The result of the analysis of variance showed a significant difference among the means of the three treatments. Also, the ANOVA result shows a significant difference among the treatments because every general acceptability of the physical properties value did not exceed the 0.05 level of significance. Therefore, varying amounts of Bilimbi extract has a significant effect on the produced toothpaste.

DISCUSSIONS

Based on the findings of the study, toothpaste can be produced from a natural toothpaste base using the Bilimbi fruit extract. This study is beneficial for it made a very affordable toothpaste out of natural ingredients for maintaining and improving oral health.