Systems and methods for intra-oral drug delivery

• US 20080293007A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amir Abolfathi, Benjamin M. Wu, Chunhua Li, Eric E. Kuo, Jennifer C. Chen, Philippe D.E. Smedt, Robert E. Tricca, Wenda C. Carlyle
• Original Assignee: Amir Abolfathi, Benjamin M. Wu, Chunhua Li, Eric E. Kuo, Jennifer C. Chen, Philippe D.E. Smedt, Robert E. Tricca, Wenda C. Carlyle
• Inventors: Abolfathi, Amir, Kuo, Eric E., Wu, Benjamin M., Li, Chunhua, Tricca, Robert E., Chen, Jennifer C., Carlyle, Wenda C.., Smedt, Philippe De
• Granted Patent: US 8,075,309 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 433/80
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 19/063 Medicament applicators for teeth or gums, e.g. treatment with fluorides
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/00 Orthodontics, i.e. obtaining or maintaining the desired position of teeth, e.g. by straightening, evening, regulating, separating, or by correcting malocclusions
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/008 using vibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/08 Mouthpiece-type retainers or positioners, e.g. for both the lower and upper arch arch-shaped medicament applicators for teeth or gums A61C19/063; mouthguards for protecting the teeth of sportsmen A63B71/085
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/00 Means to be fixed to the jaw-bone for consolidating natural teeth or for fixing dental prostheses thereon; Dental implants; Implanting tools fastening of peg-teeth in the mouth A61C13/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 1/02 Stomatological preparations, e.g. drugs for caries, aphtae, periodontitis
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 29/00 Non-central analgesic, antipyretic or antiinflammatory agents, e.g. antirheumatic agents; Non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs [NSAID]

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for intra-oral delivery of drugs.

Claims

1. A method for delivering one or more substances, comprising:

providing one or more appliances having a number of substances to be dispensed to an oral structure thereon;

providing one or more dispensing mechanisms where one or more of the substances are able to be dispensed into a body at a pre-selected dose; and

where the one or more dispensing mechanisms can dispense two or more substances in a predetermined sequence.

2. The method of claim 1, where providing one or more dispensing mechanisms includes providing at least one chemically actuated dispensing mechanisms.

3. The method of claim 1, where providing one or more dispensing mechanisms includes providing at least one electronically actuated dispensing mechanisms.

4. A method for delivering one or more substances, comprising:

providing one or more appliances having a number of substances to be dispensed to an oral structure thereon;

providing one or more dispensing mechanisms where one or more of the substances are able to be dispensed into a body at a pre-selected dose; and

where the one or more dispensing mechanisms can dispense at least two different dosages at different times.

5. The method of claim 4, where providing one or more dispensing mechanisms includes providing a processor on the appliance for controlling one or more of the dispensing mechanisms.

6. The method of claim 5, where providing one or more dispensing mechanisms includes providing a processor on the appliance for controlling one or more of the dispensing mechanisms in a close-loop manner on the appliance.

7. A dental appliance comprising:

a shell having a cavity shaped to be removably placeable over a number of teeth; and

a material on or within the shell that changes a visual characteristic of the shell in response to a change in an environmental condition.

8. The dental appliance of claim 7, where the visual characteristic is a color.

9. The dental appliance of claim 7, where the material is a dye.

10. The dental appliance of claim 7, where the material changes color in response to a change in temperature.

11. The dental appliance of claim 7, where the material changes color in response to coming into contact with moisture.

12. A dental appliance comprising:

an appliance body having a cavity shaped to be removably placeable over a number of teeth; and

a material on or within the shell that changes a characteristic of the shell in response to a change in an environmental condition.

13. The dental appliance of claim 12, where the material is selected from the group including electrical conductors, magnetic, illuminating, piezoelectric, ultrasonic generating, and light sensitive.

14. The dental appliance of claim 13, where the filler material has a property selected from the group including a modulus, an electrical resistance, a material permeability, and a birefringence, an illuminating pattern, and a pattern under special light sources may change after the appliance is worn over time.

15. The dental appliance of claim 14, where one or more of the filler material properties provides an indication of compliance based upon a diagnosis via instrumentation.

16. The dental appliance of claim 12, where the filler material has an electrical property and where the electrical property is used to power one or more electrically driven indicators.

17. The dental appliance of claim 12, where the appliance body is a shell.

18. The dental appliance of claim 12, where the appliance body is a bracket and where the cavity in formed in a receptacle attached to the bracket.