Mucoadhesive Bilayer Lidocaine Buccal Tablet to Treat Gum Diseases

The focus of the pharmaceutical research is being steadily shifted from the development of new chemical entities to novel drug delivery systems of existing drug molecules to maximize their effectiveness in terms of therapeutic action and patent protection. This is made possible by the discovery of various compatible polymers (e.g. Carbopol polymers). Local delivery of the anesthetic agent(e.g.Lidocaine)leads to higher concentration of the drug at the intended site of action using a lower dose with an associated reduction in side effects relative to systemic administration.One of the most critical factors in enhancing the efficacy of a topical anesthetic is maintaining prolonged intraoral mucosal contact. Most topical agents come in gel form, which is difficult to localize to a particular site and easily diluted by saliva.To overcome these problems, bilayer buccal tablets were prepared with carbopol polymer.They seem to solve all these problems associated with the treatment of gingivitis and other periodontal diseases and adhere well to the gum and control the release of the drug for an extended period of time. Besides this,characteristics of carbopol polymers were also evaluated.