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

智齿拔除是英国最常见的手术之一，因术后疼痛而臭名昭著。六分之一的患者在智齿拔除后会经历“干槽症”;一种血凝块丢失和拔牙槽疼痛的情况。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，直到自然愈合过程发生;这可能需要数周时间。由于拔牙部位疼痛，止痛药可能极难吞咽。术后疼痛和干槽症可以通过口腔膜的发展来缓解，以覆盖拔牙后的伤口。我们的合作者AFYX，APS开发了一种生物粘附性口腔贴片，可紧密粘附于口腔组织。我们计划将三种药物（止痛药，镇痛药，抗炎药）加入到粘合膜中。一旦应用，膜将不仅防止血凝块的损失，但同时提供缓解疼痛，抗炎和伤口援助的好处。我们将使用人工口腔组织来测试膜的稳定性、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.