Development of biopolymeric wafers for buccal administration of local anesthetics

Abstract

There are several medicines used as oral anesthetics available in the market, but they do not always achieve the necessary analgesia in cases of invasive dental procedures. Local anesthetics allow a reversible blockage of the conduction of nerve impulses, leading to no pain sensation, without affecting consciousness. Lidocaine is an important drug of this class, which was introduced to dental practice in the 1950s, presenting appropriate efficacy and safety characteristics, providing anesthetic effects of 1.5 to 3 hours when used intravenously. The release form of the drug to be studied is lyophilized wafers (relatively new formulations, developed from the lyophilization of polymer solutions or gels), which allow easy application of the resulting cake to the oral mucosa. It is intended to develop a lyophilized wafer in order to release the local anesthetic, such as lidocaine, for oral use, making use of a polymeric matrix as a base. The wafers that best behave may be used in future pre-clinical tests. (AU)