People who suffer from mouth sores can one day seek a new treatment. A plaster patch with the ability to adhere to the gums or palate can now be used to administer steroids and other drugs. Devices that fit over the teeth for Whitening and gum treatment have long been used, but a noninvasive device that can be applied to wet tissue has been long in coming.
Researchers at the University of Sheffield’s School of Clinical Dentistry have been working with the Dermtreat team from Copenhagen to invent a gum-like patch that is able to adhere to wet surfaces including the slippery lining of the mouth. The patch is what is new; existing steroids are now able to be held in place over a sore while the patch acts as a barrier to bacteria.
The benefits are being able to avoid injections and surgery. Bacteria in the mouth can interfere with the healing process, but there has never been a way to put a band aid inside the mouth without stitches or surgery. The result of this plaster are fewer applications of medicine and faster healing.
The unique polymers that make the plaster is considered a breakthrough. It creates a new treatment option for old diseases that are hard to fight. Targets include oral lichen planus (OLP) and recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). These diseases cause lesions in up to two percent of the population. More people can be treated because they need less time in the hospital and so the treatment is cheaper.
Older treatments depended on creams or some form of medicated mouthwash. They are problematic because they do not target the infection and are not held in place for longer effect. What is being called the Rivelin(R) patch will hold for hours and can be molded to many different shapes.
A spokesperson is Doctor Craig Murdoch of the Bioscience School of Clinical Dentistry. He is the lead author for the research of this new product. He points out that targeted diseases can cause painful ulcers that worsen over time and make life miserable. While putting steroids into mouthwashes and creams are marginally effective, they have very little contact time with the sores. A patch would be more effective for this purpose.
Craig Murdoch points out that test patients have rated the patch as being comfortable in position. They understand that long contact time improves healing and are understandably enthusiastic about the treatment. It is already proving to be a success.
The Dermtreat A/S team from Copenhagen was shortly awarded $17.7 million from Sofinnova, which is a company that invests in new technology. The second phase of clinical trials is set to begin soon at a few locations in the United Kingdom and the United States. Dermtreat is also pursuing researching into other drugs that might benefit from the super sticky patch, maybe even teeth whitening.