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Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Rationale of the Study

Santan (Īxora coccinea) is a low-growing tropical shrub notable for

its bright colored flowers which are composed of many small blooms

massed together into dense, flat-topped flower heads. It is native in

Asia. In Southeast Asia, this plant is popular for hedges. Tropical climate

like in the Philippines, santan (Īxora coccinea) blooms throughout the

year and is easy to grow. In other countries, particular in India, this

plant is used as a traditional medicine depending on the medical

condition .The different parts of the plant have its own medicinal

constituents. The flowers, leaves, roots and stem are used to treat

various ailments. Studies have been conducted in the countries of India,

Malaysia, Myanmar and Bangladesh about the pharmacological and

pharmaceutical activities of the different parts of the santan (Īxora

coccinea) plant. A study of Sivarajan and Balanchandram (1994) found

out that this plant has been used traditionally for variety of ailments.

Like for example, the leaves are used for diarrhea, the roots are used to

treat hiccough, fever, sore, chronic ulcers, skin diseases, and the flowers

have been used in catarrhal bronchitis and dysentery. However, here in

the Philippines, the discovery of this plant’s capability to treat ailments

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has not given an attention. As observed, here in the locality, this plant

is abundant and is feasible to conduct a study on it.

Mouthwash is characterized as liquid that is used as mouth

freshener and teeth cleaner. There are various systematic and topical

agents that are available in the market for treatment of oral problems.

However, the use of these products have some limitations because they

may be inactivated by food and saliva, or cause disturbances and

mucosal infections (Ciancio 1995). A previous study by Annapurna

et.at., (2003) revealed that the leaves of santan (Īxora coccinea)

exhibited antimicrobial activity which was comparable to streptomycin,

a standard antibiotics. Poor families that cannot buy the commercial

mouthwash have another option which is the alternative santan (Īxora

coccinea) mouthwash. The organic mouthwash is safe because it has no

chemicals added on it. It is alcohol-free so that it cannot harm or affect

the gums and teeth and it can help to lessen the bacteria in the mouth

and combats plaque and gingivitis.

Oral health is one of the indicator of overall health, well-being and

quality of life. World Health Organization addresses oral health as “a

state of being free from chronic mouth and facial pain, oral and throat

cancer, oral infection and sores, periodontal (gum) disease, tooth decay,

tooth loss, and other diseases and disorders that limit an individual’s

capacity in biting, chewing, smiling, speaking, and psychosocial well-

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being”. According to Pettersen et.al., (2005) oral diseases is one of the

major health problem worldwide. This diseases bring huge effects on the

people and the communities as a result of associated pain and

sufferings. In connection to this, the Global Burden Study 2016, as

evaluated, oral diseases affected more than 3.58 billion people

worldwide, with caries of permanent teeth which is the most prevalent

of all conditions assessed. Globally, it is estimated that 2.4 billion people

experience caries of permanent and that 486 million children suffer from

caries of primary teeth.

The study is generally be set in the Municipality of Dalaguete. The

materials for the study are obtain in the locality. The availability of the

area for the study is also present. The overall process is circulated in

the Dalaguete National High School where the Science Laboratory is

located.

The study focuses on the evaluation of the significant difference

between the alternative santan (Īxora coccinea) mouthwash and the

commercial mouthwash. This study also investigates the effectiveness

of the alternative mouthwash compare to the commercial mouthwash.

The main purpose of this study is to provide an affordable and

organic mouthwash. It has also the purpose to give an option and

natural type of mouthwash for maintaining proper oral hygiene. This

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mouthwash will not just aid the oral hygiene of an individual but will also

help prevent or lessen oral related problems.

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Statement of the Problem

This study aims to evaluate the significant difference

between alternative santan (Īxora coccinea) mouthwash and

commercial mouthwash. The study is set in the Science Laboratory of

Dalaguete National High School. The study is done during the second

semester of school year 2019-2020.

Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following sub-problems:

1. What is the profile of santan (Īxora coccinea) in terms of:

1.1 leaf blade;

1.2 leaf color;

1.3 leaf size;

1.4 leaf arrangement;

1.5 leaf venation;

1.6 medicinal uses?

2. How effective is the alternative santan (Īxora coccinea) mouthwash

in terms of:

2.1 zone of inhibition;

2.2 rate of effect?

3. How effective is the commercial mouthwash in terms of:

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3.1 zone of inhibition;

3.2 rate of effect?

4. What is the significant difference between alternative santan (Īxora

coccinea) mouthwash and commercial mouthwash in terms of:

4.1 zone of inhibition;

4.2 rate of effect?

5. Can the santan (Īxora coccinea) mouthwash be used as alternative

to commercial mouthwash?
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Significance of the study

This study is beneficial to the following:

Students

It provides the students a cheaper and organic type of mouthwash.

Parents

It helps parents to save money as well as it gives realization about

the importance of plants.

Community

It provides the people in the community an affordable and organic

mouthwash to maintain proper oral hygiene. It also promotes awareness

that there is a gold mine in plants that can help improve their living.

Future Researchers

It can be utilized as source for those who will have the same study.
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Scope and Limitations

The study focuses on the effectiveness of the santan (Īxora

coccinea) as an alternative mouthwash. This alternative mouthwash is

compared to the commercial mouthwash in terms of its zone of inhibition

and rate of effect. The leaves of the plant are utilized as the source of

extract. The study uses the necessary laboratory apparatus and

equipments in conducting the procedures which are limited only in the

Science Laboratory.
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Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter shows the different review of related literature

which includes the conceptual background and the related studies that

the previous researchers have gathered.

Conceptual Literature

This study is anchored on R.A. No. 10068 also known as the

“Organic Agriculture Act of 2010”. The said law includes all agricultural

systems that promote the economically sound, socially acceptable,

economically viable and technically feasible production of food and

fibers. It also covers the integrity of organic products through the

approved organic certification procedure and organic production,

handling and processing standards.

Including mouthwash in your daily oral hygiene habit is widely

recommended to improve oral health because it can be used quickly

throughout the day as what the American Dental Association (ADA)

Mouth Healthy said. ADA Mouth Healthy also added that organic

mouthwash is one type of product whose value often depends on the

individual. There are many reviews about organic mouthwash and the

reviews that is produced by the web producer, stated that organic

mouthwash offers all the benefits of regular mouthwash. This is mainly

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because only the ingredients are free of artificial additives and chemicals

such as alcohol, glycerine, or fluoride. Instead, organic mouthwash rely

on the natural minerals such as salt, aloe, and xylitol. Also, certified

organic mouthwash reduces the risk of internal organs. There are many

kinds of organic mouthwash and the following are the possible effects:

guaranteed to freshen your breath, helps prevent tooth decay,

provides your mouth with a pH-balanced environment to kill off harmful

bacteria, contains USDA-certified organic ingredients which are ideal for

your overall health, environmentally-friendly formulation, doesn’t burn

which benefits people with gingivitis-related sensitive gums,

manufactured without fillers, and does NOT contain alcohol, animal

ingredients, artificial colors , artificial preservatives, artificial

sweeteners, fluoride, gluten, glycerine , phthalates, propylene glycol,

soy, stevia, xylitol, or sulfates.

Related Studies

There are studies recorded about the extraction of an organic

mouthwash. On the other hand, there were also studies about the

pharmacological and pharmaceutical activities of the different parts of

the santan (Īxora coccinea) plant that could be associated with an

organic mouthwash. According to Than et.al., (2009), in Myanmar,

the santan (Īxora coccinea) declared as a very useful treatment of

toothache and any oral diseases as a mouthwash. In support of the

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statement above, Dontha et.al., (2014) says that, raw materials for

important medicines, medicinal herbs used in modern medicine hold a

very important place. India officially recognizes the medicinal value

of more than 3000 plants and more than 6000 plants in India are

commonly known to be used in conventional, folk and herbal medicine.

Santan (Īxora coccinea) is historically considered to be beneficial for

many conditions such as hepatic disorder, cancer, microbial infection,

antioxidant, pain, inflammation and etc. In addition, according to

Toyokuni (2003) that tropical plants are typically tolerant of high levels

of environmental stress induced by ultraviolet radiation, which explains

the high levels of previously studied phenolic compounds.

As what an article from Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical

Biomedicine found out, all the methanolic extracts of different parts of

santan (Īxora coccinea) species showed a great probability of

antibacterial and antiyeast activities. It was also observed in the study

that there was no significant difference between the different species of

this plant. The antimicrobial activities shown by this species suggests its

capability against infections caused by pathogens and that the extract

is developed as an antimicrobial agent. In line to this, a study from the

Journal of Mycopathological Research showed that all the extracts from

the different parts of the santan (Īxora coccinea) inhibited antimicrobial

activities. In addition to this, Marimuthu et.al., (2014) found out that

 12

this plant’s different extracts have potential antimicrobial activity

against bacteria and fungi. The study of Upadhyay et.al., (2014)

discovered that the leaf extracts of this plant was evaluated to have

antioxidant, antimicrobial, and fibroblast proliferation activities. Akter

et.al., (2015) also added that the previous studies found out that the

leaves of the various species of santan (Īxora coccinea) possess

significant antimicrobial activity. The ethyl extracts and purified fraction

of the santan (Īxora coccinea) were able to inhibit greater distance of

zone of inhibition (Anusha et.al., 2014).

A Phytochemical study indicates that this plant contains important

phytochemicals such as lupeol, ursolic acid, oleonolic acid, sitosterol,

rutin, lecocyanadin, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, glycosides of

kaemferol and quercetin. In connections to this, Pharmacological

studies suggest that santan (Īxora coocinea) possesses antioxidative,

antibacterial, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, antidiarrhoeal,

antinociceptive, antimutagenic, antineoplstic and chemopreventive

effects. A preliminary phytochemical screening of the extracts of this

plant also revealed the presence of the different bioactive components.

Above paragraphs tackle about the different related studies of the

effectiveness of the organic santan (īxora coccinea) extracts. However,

there are some studies that are contrary to those findings. Cruz et.al.,

(2018) found out in their study that that the santan (īxora coccinea)
 13

flower extract is less effective as compared to the commercial reagent.

The result shows that the produced extract is still not ideal in to be an

alternative to the commercial. A study of Pathan (2017) showed that

the commercial mouthwash showed a higher level of antimicrobial action

than the herbal mouthwash against bacterial species.

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R.A. No. 10068 also known as

“Organic Agriculture Act of
2010”

Alcohol- Additive-
free free

Safe and
Beneficial

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of the Study

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Input
 The profile of Santan (Īxora coccinea)
leaves
 The effectiveness of the alternative
organic mouthwash

Process
 Preparation phase
 Extraction phase
 Testing phase

Output
Organic Santan (Īxora coccinea) Mouthwash
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Figure 2. Paradigm of the Study

CHAPTER 3

Research Methodology

This chapter introduces the methods in obtaining the whole data

of the research. This encompasses research design, research

environment, research subjects, research instruments, procedure and

analysis.

Research Design

The study will utilize the Quasi Experimental design. The design of

the study involves the manipulation of the independent variable without

the randomization of the test subjects. There will be a control group

which will be intentionally picked by the researchers to be compared to

the experimental group. The experimental group will receive the

intervention while the control group will not receive the new treatment.

Research Environment

The study will be conducted at Dalaguete National High School

here at Dalaguete, Cebu during the school year 2019-2020. One of the

known secondary schools in the Municipality of Dalaguete. It is

administered by two principals. The school campus has the biggest area

the rest of the secondary schools in the locality. It has 200 plus
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classrooms which accommodate 3700 total population of students,

among are the junior high school and senior high school students. It has

also a Science Laboratory for the conduct of the study. The laboratory

is located at the Senior High School building which is placed at the left

corner of the oval.

Research Subjects

The study will use bacteria as the test subjects. The subjects

should be oral bacteria, specifically the streptococci which belong to the

class of bacilli gram positive. They subjects will be cultured.

Research Instruments

The study will use the necessary laboratory apparatus

and equipments in order to gather the data. These includes hot plate,

test tubes, beakers, measuring materials, etc.

Research Procedure

Sampling Procedure

Since the test subjects are bacteria, they will be cultured. After

obtaining the cultured bacteria, they will be assigned as either the

experimental group or the control group in the experiment.

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Data Gathering Procedure

Preparation Phase

The materials will be gathered first, the santan (īxora coccinea)

leaves and the necessary laboratory apparatus and equipments. The

preparation for the set up in the laboratory will also be done before

hand.

Extraction Phase

After the materials are gathered, the decoction of the leaves will

follow. There will be different concentrations of extract to be obtained.

Next process will be the filtration of the extracts.

Testing Phase

In this phase, the different concentrations of leaves extracts will

be tested through the process of microbial testing. There will be a

cultured bacteria in which the extract will be applied to determine its

effects.

Statistical Treatment of the Study

To determine the average of the zone of inhibition by group, simple

mean will be used.

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𝑥̅ = ∑ 𝑛

N
Where:

x̅ - is the mean of all the distances

∑n – is the sum of all the distances

N – is the total number of the subjects by group

To determine the significant difference in the means of the two

groups, ANOVA will be used, specifically the three-way ANOVA because

this will involve more than two variables.

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DEFINITION OF TERMS

Santan (Īxora coccinea) – a species of flowering plant that is

used as the source for the alternative organic mouthwash.

Organic Mouthwash – a type of mouthwash that is made without

any artificial chemicals and the output of the study.

Commercial Mouthwash – a type of mouthwash that is processed

with the presence of artificial chemicals which will be compared to the

organic mouthwash.
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