Seeking Bio-adhesive Agents for Oral Care

Bio-adhesive agents which would help to adhere actives to suit the oral cavity (teeth / gums) providing long lasting activity where current actives can be washed away. The agent would remain in the oral cavity (post rinsing) for a short period of time of up to 12 hours, while binding the active to gum / tooth surfaces.

Toothpastes contain various materials in order to clean teeth. Typically they would consist of abrasives (silica / calcium carbonate) to clean and whiten teeth, fluoride to harden enamel, detergents to provide foam, an active for antimicrobial action or anti-sensitivity, gum system to suspend the abrasive / provide stand-up for the paste and also flavor. Adding an adhesive agent which would be tolerable to oral conditions could provide a mechanism for holding an active or flavor to the gum/tooth providing longer term antibacterial behavior. We have global healthcare toothpaste brands that could benefit from innovation with respect to bio-adhesive agents.

We are looking for bio-adhesive polymers (ie agents that increase the retention of actives in the mouth verses other marketed products), which can be incorporated into a toothpaste. These materials would be substantive and bind actives to the tooth or gum surface. For toothpaste application, your material will hold actives to wet enamel (hydroxyapatite), dentine or gum surfaces, allowing the active to work and be retained for long periods ( up to 12 hours in the mouth). The actives could be anti-bacterial, tooth hardening materials, anti-erosion materials or protect against sensitivity. Cationic adhesives may not be suitable as they might interact with other toothpaste components. Your novel adhesives should be compatible / work with gums (eg xanthan, cellulose materials, carageeenans etc). We are not looking for systems that bond to teeth permanently, but a material that can be incorporated into a toothpaste such that adsorption onto teeth/gum can take place to locate an active temporarily. Sensory benefits would be an added benefit (eg silky feeling or flavor enhancement).

Timing depends on how far the technology is progressed (i.e. late stage research or commercially ready) and can be defined during future discussions.

Toxicology data to support safety in / on the body are required. This is important as all toothpastes can be ingested to a degree. Most of the agents we review have a poor toxicological profile, so we will screen here first.

Technologies identified will be considered with an aspiration of working with the technology owner to progress to next steps.

Multinational healthcare company