Early childhood caries (ECC) has been considered to be at epidemic proportions in developing countries. There is a scientific consensus regarding the benefit of a constant supply of low levels of fluoride, especially at the biofilm/saliva/ tooth interface in preventing dental caries. The use of controlled and sustained delivery systems containing fluoride can be considered as an effective means of eradicating ECC in high-risk individuals. The use of chlorhexidine as an antimicrobial agent in combination with fluoride is beneficial (Naidu et al., 2016). Slow-releasing devices containing both fluoride and chlorhexidine do not exist as of now. Hence, the aim of the present study was to design a slow-release polymeric intraoral patch containing fluoride and chlorhexidine, and to evaluate the amount of medicament released over 20 days. Three slow-releasing patches were fabricated with different concentrations of gelatin to determine the maximum release of medicaments. Using in-vitro drug release studies it was observed that, out of three patches prepared with equal concentrations of chlorhexidine (80 mg) and sodium fluoride (288 mg), a patch I containing 1,000 mg of gelatin was found to be beneficial for a sustained release of both medicaments.
Key words: Early childhood caries, Chlorhexidine, Sodium fluoride, Slow release, Primary teeth
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