Oral lesions, particularly associated with chronic inflammatory conditions, are surprisingly widespread, affecting millions all around the world. Now, a bioinspired adhesive gel may come to help. Researchers took inspiration from slugs to develop a revolutionary patch that sticks to wet surfaces in the mouth while delivering sustained medication to the affected area.

Slugs are pretty gross, and part of why they’re gross is the mucus they secrete. That mucus, however, helps protect them from predators. It also sticks really well to wet surfaces, even stretching without breaking. This unique combination of properties intrigued scientists at Harvard who wanted to see how they could use this material in a medical setting.

In 2017, the team created a tough hydrogel based on the slug mucus’s mechanical principles. This hydrogel, composed largely of water and biocompatible polymers derived from algae, demonstrated exceptional adhesion to animal tissues. Its ability to perform in wet environments laid the groundwork for its application in oral health.

From slugs to mouths

Building on this research, David Tiansui Wu, an instructor in Oral Medicine at Harvard, saw the potential to adapt the hydrogel for dental use. Working alongside postdoctoral researcher Dr. Benjamin Freedman, Wu explored the possibilities of using this material to treat conditions affecting the mouth. Together, they developed the DenTAl patch — a version of the hydrogel fine-tuned for intraoral use.

The patch adheres strongly to various oral tissues, including the tongue, gums, and inner cheeks. It stays firm even under the stress of chewing and speaking. And it stretches up to 15 times its original length, accommodating the mouth’s dynamic movements.

What really makes DenTAl exciting for doctors is its ability to deliver drugs over an extended period. Drugs can be embedded into the patch and released gradually for up to three weeks. This sustained delivery ensures prolonged exposure of the drug to the lesion, enhancing its therapeutic effect and reducing the need for frequent reapplication.

The problem of oral lesions

Chronic inflammatory conditions such as oral lichen planus (OLP) and recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) affect a significant portion of the population, leading to painful lesions that disrupt daily life. Eating, speaking, and maintaining oral hygiene can become challenging and painful for people suffering from oral lesions. Treating oral problems is also challenging because most patches don’t stick well to the mouth.

Traditional delivery methods, including ointments, mouth rinses, and pastes, are easily dislodged by saliva and the constant motion inside the mouth. This results in short drug exposure times, limiting their effectiveness and leaving patients in discomfort. This is why this adhesive is so promising: it combines strong adhesion, flexibility, and sustained drug delivery.

“Chronic inflammatory conditions, such as oral lichen planus and recurrent aphthous stomatitis, negatively affect patients’ quality of life. Current treatment approaches are mainly palliative and often ineffective due to inadequate contact time of the therapeutic agent with the lesions,” said Wu. “This novel technology has the potential to impact several areas in dentistry, including applications in oral wound repair and regeneration, and drug delivery. ”

In preclinical trials, DenTAl worked better than existing oral technologies. In tests on animals, it exhibited adhesion levels 2 to 100 times greater than current solutions. Furthermore, the drugs were delivered steadily throughout the period.

Technology with great potential

The implications of this technology extend far beyond managing OLP and RAS. In oral surgery, DenTAl could be used to seal wounds after procedures such as tooth extractions, gingival grafts, or bone augmentation. Its robust adhesion could eliminate the need for sutures in certain cases, speeding up recovery and minimizing discomfort for patients.

“In periodontics and oral surgery, this technology can be applied to seal surgical sites such as gingival graft harvest sites, extraction sockets, bone augmentation surgical sites, and much more. Our vision is to one day develop sutureless wound repair,” Wu added.

The team still has to refine the technology and seek regulatory approval, but for now, the solution inspired by the humble slug seems promising — a testament to nature’s ingenuity and its capacity to inspire solutions to complex medical challenges.

When DenTAl reaches dental offices, it may mark the beginning of a new era in personalized, effective, and patient-friendly oral healthcare.