Controlled-
drug-delivery oral devices are implanted or inserted into an
oral cavity, built onto a prosthetic
tooth crown, a denture plate, braces, a
dental implant, or the like. The devices are refilled or replaced as needed. The controlled
drug delivery may be passive, based on a
dosage form, or electro-mechanically controlled, for a high-precision, intelligent,
drug delivery. Additionally, the
controlled delivery may be any one of the following: delivery in accordance with a preprogrammed
regimen, delivery at a controlled rate,
delayed delivery, pulsatile delivery, chronotherapeutic delivery, closed-loop delivery, responsive to a sensor's input, delivery
on demand from a personal
extracorporeal system, delivery
regimen specified by a personal
extracorporeal system, delivery
on demand from a monitoring center, via a personal
extracorporeal system, and delivery
regimen specified by a monitoring center, via a personal extracorporeal system.
Drug absorption in the
oral cavity may be assisted or induced by a transport mechanism, such as any one of, or a combination of
iontophoresis, electroosmosis,
electrophoresis,
electroporation, sonophoresis, and
ablation. The oral devices require refilling or replacement at relatively long intervals of weeks or months, maintain a desired dosage level in the
oral cavity, hence in the
gastrointestinal tract, for extended periods, address situations of narrow drug therapeutic indices, and by being automatic, ensure adherence to a prescribed
medication regimen. The oral devices and methods for controlled
drug delivery apply to humans and animals.