Medical Devices for Oral Mucosal Applications

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter discusses the opportunities offered by medical devices as supportive care for oromucosal pathologies. There are still many unmet needs in the treatment of these pathologies, one such example is oral mucositis caused by cancer chemo-radiotherapy. This condition does not have a satisfactory treatment at the present time, yet it is so disabling to the patient that it may eventually lead to the discontinuation of cancer therapy.After a brief introduction that includes definitions and relevant regulations, the oral conditions that can be treated with a medical device are considered, in particular mucositis, aphthae and xerostomia. In addition the mechanisms of action by which medical devices function are reviewed and a list of representative products available on the markets is included in the chapter. In the last section the results of authors’ ongoing research aimed at developing new improved class II medical devices are presented. These studies are currently focused on the development of suitable mucoadhesive vehicles (gels and in situ gelling spray), to be extemporaneously reconstituted with appropriate drugs or drug products, that are capable of assuring a prolonged contact with the damaged mucosa and prevent the detrimental removal effect of biological fluids.KeywordsBarrier propertiesOral mucositisXerostomiaAphtous stomatitis