Buccal Drug Delivery System: A Review

The buccal region of the oral cavity is an attractive target for administration of the drug of choice, particularly in overcoming deficiencies associated with the latter mode of administration. Problems such as high first-pass metabolism and drug degradation in the gastrointestinal environment can be circumvented by administering the drug via the buccal route. Moreover, rapid onset of action can be achieved relative to the oral route and the formulation can be removed if therapy is required to be discontinued. It is also possible to administer drugs to patients who unconscious and less co-operative. To prevent accidental swallowing of drugs adhesive mucosal dosage forms were suggested for oral delivery, which included adhesive tablets, adhesive gels, adhesive patches and many other dosage forms with various combinations of polymers, absorption enhancers. In addition to this, studies have been conducted on the development of controlled or slow release delivery systems for systemic and local therapy of diseases in the oral cavity.