<![CDATA[Abstract: Dental caries is one of the most common oral health problem among children and serves as an important indicator in assessing oral and dental health. One of the factors that plays a role in preventing caries is fluoride intake, which can be obtained from food sources such as marine fish. Coastal areas like Munte Village have high access to marine fish; however, a high prevalence of dental caries is still found among school-aged children. This has prompted research on the relationship between marine fish consumption and dental caries status. This study aimed to determine the relationship between marine fish consumption and dental caries status in children aged 10–12 years at SD Negeri Munte, Likupang Barat. This was an analytical and observational study with a cross-sectional design. Data were collected through a questionnaire on marine fish consumption frequency and dental caries examination using the DMF-T index. Data analysis was conducted using the Spearman Rank test. The results obtained 61 students as subjects selected using total sampling technique. The majority of subjects reported very frequent consumption of marine fish (63.93%) and had dental caries status in the moderate category (40.98%) with an average DMF-T index of 3.3. The Spearman test showed a p-value of 0.003 and a correlation coefficient of -0.371, indicating a significant and inverse relationship between marine fish consumption and dental caries status. In conclusion, there is a significant relationship between marine fish consumption and dental caries status in children aged 10–12 years at SD Negeri Munte, Likupang. Keywords: marine fish consumption; dental caries; school-aged children Abstrak: Karies gigi termasuk salah satu masalah kesehatan gigi yang paling umum ditemukan pada anak-anak dan menjadi salah satu indikator penting dalam menilai kesehatan gigi dan mulut. Salah satu faktor yang berkontribusi dalam mencegah terjadinya karies yaitu asupan fluor yang dapat diperoleh dari makanan, seperti ikan laut. Daerah pesisir seperti Desa Munte memiliki akses tinggi terhadap ikan laut, namun masih ditemukan kasus karies gigi yang cukup tinggi pada anak usia sekolah. Hal ini mendorong dilakukannya penelitian mengenai hubungan konsumsi ikan laut dengan status karies gigi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk engetahui hubungan antara konsumsi ikan laut dengan status karies gigi pada anak usia 10–12 tahun di SD Negeri Munte, Likupang Barat. Jenis penelitian ialah observasional analitik dengan desain potong lintang. Data dikumpulkan melalui kuesioner frekuensi konsumsi ikan laut dan pemeriksaan status karies menggunakan indeks DMF-T. Analisis data dilakukan dengan uji Spearman Rank. Hasil penelitian mendapatkan 61 siswa sebagai subjek penelitian yang dipilih melalui teknik total sampling. Mayoritas subjek penelitian memiliki frekuensi konsumsi ikan laut yang sangat sering (63,93%) dan status karies gigi dalam kategori sedang (40,98%) dengan nilai rerata indeks DMF-T sebesar 3,3. Hasil uji Spearman menunjukkan nilai p=0,003 dan koefisien korelasi -0,371 yang menunjukkan adanya hubungan bermakna dan berbanding terbalik antara konsumsi ikan laut dan status karies gigi. Simpulan penelitian ini ialah terdapat hubungan bermakna antara konsumsi ikan laut dengan status karies gigi pada anak usia 10-12 tahun di SD Negeri Munte Likupang. Kata kunci: konsumsi ikan laut; karies gigi; anak usia sekolah]]>
