Feb. 4, 2008 -- For those who hate taking medication or are always forgetting a pill, a solution might be on the horizon: a prosthetic tooth that delivers the drugs for you.
Called IntelliDrug, the device is just two molars in size and could ensure that patients take the correct amount of medicine, at precisely the correct time.
Electronic and software components also allow doctors to adjust doses during the course of treatment, as well as track the history of the therapy.
"The objective of this technology is to offer an alternative to fully controlled drug delivery, in terms of dosage, timing, etc., in a non-invasive manner," said Andy Wolff, co-founder of Harutzim, Israel-based Saliwell, which spun out of Tel Aviv-based Assuta Medical Centers. Wolff patented the technology with Ben Beiski, CEO of Saliwell.
Made of stainless steel and polymers, the IntelliDrug device is comprised of a drug reservoir, a micro-fluidic duct, an electrically controlled valve, sensors, and two batteries. The medication is placed into the reservoir as a solid pill.
Water from saliva passes through a membrane and generates pressure in the drug reservoir. A microcontroller opens a valve and releases the pressurized solution into the mouth at programmed intervals. Meanwhile, a sensor keeps track of the medicine flowing out and monitors the pill as it becomes depleted.
The device can even be controlled by an external remote control, which uses infrared (similar to a television's remote control) to open the valve.
Because the drugs pass through cheek tissue, instead of the intestines and stomach, the body has a better chance of absorbing the medicine.
According to Wolff, the prosthetic tooth could be installed as part of a removable denture, a mouth guard, a bridge, an orthodontic bracket, or a dental implant, depending on the person. For example, a compliant patient who needs intermittent drug delivery would be a good candidate for a removable device. But an elderly person with Alzheimer's disease might be better off with a fixed one.
In clinical studies, the researchers successfully tested a variety drugs, including naltrexone, a drug used to treat addictions, and galantamine, an agent used to manage Alzheimer's.
In a later system, the team hopes to use radio-frequency identification or wireless phones to communicate with the system.
"The potential of a device like this for dentistry is that it could deliver a therapeutic agent in the mouth," said John Yagiela, professor in the School of Dentistry and chair of the Division of Diagnostic and Surgical Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles.
For example, a drug that targets the bacteria that can cause cavities. But the downside is that it needs space in the mouth that might not exist.
"Not a lot of people are missing two molar teeth," said Yagiela.
Still, said Wolff, with adequate funding, the IntelliDrug device could be on the market within two years.
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