New Drugs for the Topical Treatment of Oral Mucosal Conditions

New Drugs for the Topical Treatment of Oral Mucosal Conditions

Researchers at the University of Iceland have developed a new formulation for the topical treatment of oral mucosal conditions, and it shows great promise. Their study, “Development of Drugs for Local Treatment of Oral Conditions,” was presented at the 94th General Session & Exhibition of the International Association for Dental Research in June in Seoul, South Korea.

Many medications are available to treat oral mucosal conditions, such as aphthous ulcers, herpes, and canker sores. Often, such treatments are used over long periods of time, during which patients may develop intolerance or resistance to these drugs. This led researchers on a journey to develop a new drug formulation.

The research team developed many new formulations and tested each as a topical treatment for oral mucosal conditions through clinical trials. These included matrix-metallo-proteinase activity using topical doxycycline for aphthous ulceration; the antimicrobial compound monocaprin for herpes; and an active formulation to treat canker sores. Monocaprin, the researchers discovered, provided anti-candidal activity that was tested on older adults with denture stomatitis. The topical application of doxycycline, it was found, promoted healing of mucosal lesions.

The newly developed drugs are currently undergoing evaluation and testing using different delivery systems, including drug release time and the muco-adhesive capacity of the formulations.

Hygiene Connection E-Newsletter

August 2016