Dental drug-delivery devices: local and sustained-release applications.

Dental diseases are among the most prevalent illnesses in humans. Many pharmaceutical dosage forms are used to prevent and treat these diseases. Toothpastes and mouthwashes are two of the most popular dental medicaments. A local delivery application that prolongs the release of the drug in the mouth offers great advantages in preventing and treating caries and periodontal diseases. Sustained-release devices are a relatively new concept in dentistry. This paper describes several types of sustained-release devices that are available commercially or are in the premarketing stage.