Issue 7, 2024

Emerging polymeric materials for treatment of oral diseases: design strategy towards a unique oral environment

Abstract

Oral diseases are prevalent but challenging diseases owing to the highly movable and wet, microbial and inflammatory environment. Polymeric materials are regarded as one of the most promising biomaterials due to their good compatibility, facile preparation, and flexible design to obtain multifunctionality. Therefore, a variety of strategies have been employed to develop materials with improved therapeutic efficacy by overcoming physicobiological barriers in oral diseases. In this review, we summarize the design strategies of polymeric biomaterials for the treatment of oral diseases. First, we present the unique oral environment including highly movable and wet, microbial and inflammatory environment, which hinders the effective treatment of oral diseases. Second, a series of strategies for designing polymeric materials towards such a unique oral environment are highlighted. For example, multifunctional polymeric materials are armed with wet-adhesive, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory functions through advanced chemistry and nanotechnology to effectively treat oral diseases. These are achieved by designing wet-adhesive polymers modified with hydroxy, amine, quinone, and aldehyde groups to provide strong wet-adhesion through hydrogen and covalent bonding, and electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, by developing antimicrobial polymers including cationic polymers, antimicrobial peptides, and antibiotic-conjugated polymers, and by synthesizing anti-inflammatory polymers with phenolic hydroxy and cysteine groups that function as immunomodulators and electron donors to reactive oxygen species to reduce inflammation. Third, various delivery systems with strong wet-adhesion and enhanced mucosa and biofilm penetration capabilities, such as nanoparticles, hydrogels, patches, and microneedles, are constructed for delivery of antibiotics, immunomodulators, and antioxidants to achieve therapeutic efficacy. Finally, we provide insights into challenges and future development of polymeric materials for oral diseases with promise for clinical translation.

Graphical abstract: Emerging polymeric materials for treatment of oral diseases: design strategy towards a unique oral environment

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
25 11 2023
First published
20 3 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Soc. Rev., 2024,53, 3273-3301

Emerging polymeric materials for treatment of oral diseases: design strategy towards a unique oral environment

B. Jia, B. Zhang, J. Li, J. Qin, Y. Huang, M. Huang, Y. Ming, J. Jiang, R. Chen, Y. Xiao and J. Du, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2024, 53, 3273 DOI: 10.1039/D3CS01039B

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements