Handinda Putri Agustina, Mona Sari, Yusril Yusuf
Hydroxyapatite (HA) use in health was growing, which was applied to teeth. This study aims to develop a gel HA based on abalone shells using biopolymer dates as a teeth remineralization agent. HA is one of the constituent materials of teeth composed of calcium (Ca) and phosphate (P) compounds so that it can be used as a remineralization agent in caries-infected teeth. The homogenization method successfully produces these gels with 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt% concentration variations. The physicochemical properties of each sample are analyzed through X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) test results. The XRD results showed the formation of the HA phase with low crystallinity. The crystallite size of HA produced is on the nanometer scale, with sizes ranging from 34 to 42 nm. The morphology of the gel-HA showed that the gel was homogeneous with more evenly distributed particles as the HA concentration increased. The FTIR spectrum results confirmed the content of HA in the biocomposite gel with the appearance of P-O functional groups. The dates, as antibacterial material, are able to fight Streptococcus mutans with a diameter of the inhibition zone bacteria of 15 mm. Based on these results, HA-dates gel has the potential to be used as a remineralizing agent on teeth and also an antibacterial agent. © 2026 Author(s).
Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Department of Physics Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
