Fabrication and toxicity testing of drug-loaded oral patches to expedite wound repair following tooth extraction.

在英国，拔智齿是最常见的手术之一，而且因引起术后疼痛而臭名昭著。1 / 6的患者在拔除智齿后会出现“干槽”；一种血块丢失，拔牙窝疼痛的情况。这种情况是一个主要问题，治疗的目的是控制拔牙部位的疼痛，直到自然愈合的过程发生；这可能需要几个星期的时间。由于拔牙部位疼痛，止痛药很难吞咽。拔牙后口腔膜覆盖创面可减轻术后疼痛和干窝。我们的合作伙伴，AFYX， APS已经开发出一种生物粘合剂口腔贴片，可以紧密地附着在口腔组织上。我们计划在粘附膜中加入三种药物（止痛药、镇痛药、消炎药）。一旦使用，这种膜不仅可以防止血凝块的流失，还可以同时提供止痛、抗炎和伤口辅助的好处。我们将使用人工口腔组织来测试膜的黏附性、药物释放动力学和药物渗透深度。这个跨学科项目汇集了组织工程专家、材料科学家和临床医生的专业知识，以解决未满足的临床需求。

Wisdom tooth extraction is one of the most common surgeries carried out in the UK, and is notorious for causing post-operative pain. 1 in 6 patients will experience "dry-socket" after wisdom tooth removal; a condition where the blood clot is lost and the extraction socket becomes painful. The condition is a major problem-treatment is aimed at managing the pain at the site of the extraction until the natural process of healing has occurred; this can take a number of weeks. Painkillers can be extremely difficult to swallow due to soreness at the extraction site. Postoperative pain and dry-socket could be alleviated by the development of an oral membrane to cover the wound post-extraction. Our collaborator, AFYX, APS has developed a bioadhesive oral patch that adheres tightly to oral tissue. We plan to incorporate three drugs into the adhesive membrane (painkiller, analgesic, anti-inflammatory). Once applied, the membrane will not only prevent loss of blood clot, but will simultaneously provide pain relief, anti-inflammatory and wound aiding benefits. We will use artificial oral tissue to test the adhesiveness of the membranes, drug-release kinetics and drug-penetration depths. This interdisciplinary project brings together tissue-engineering experts, material scientists and clinician expertise to address an unmet clinical need.