SITE-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES IN THE SALIVARY CONCENTRATIONS OF SUBSTANCES IN THE ORAL CAVITY - IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ETIOLOGY OF ORAL-DISEASE AND LOCAL-DRUG DELIVERY

There have been many attempts to administer drugs locally from devices placed in the oral cavity. The ability to reach a target site followi ng release will be influenced by the ease with which a drug can move a round the oral cavity. The rate at which a drug is cleared from that s ite may influence the magnitude and duration of its effect. Studies su ggest that the movement and clearance of substances dissolved or suspe nded in saliva are complex. In this review we forward explanations for these site-specific patterns and discuss the significance such region al variations may have with respect to the aetiology of oral disease, the placement of delivery systems for optimisation of delivery and in the design and formulation of oral mucosal drug delivery systems used for local delivery of bioactive materials to the oral cavity.