Dentures poor Future Drug Dispensary

Addiction and Recovery News: The Intellidrug tooth implant

Do you all believe this! Intellidrug wants to ensure that people, for example, diabetics, take prescribed drugs in a timely fashion, so the company is developing a medication dispensing tooth - a device to be implanted in the mouth of the patient, which device would release the drug serially and directly into the bloodstream through the lining of the cheek. It appears the medication dispensing tooth is a solution for medical conditions in which a constant level of a particular drug must be present at all times in the bloodstream. It is also reportedly an ideal alternative to medication protocals such as injections and pills. Yet I see a corporate money-making scheme that will line the pockets of the entrepreneurs who create and maintain the device, instead of delivering a necessary service.

In all likelihood, this medication dispensing tooth will have to be anchored to something in the mouth, preferably out of sight. Thus it may be assumed this involves a denture of some sort, attached to a molar. Here's what a diabetic will be walking around with in his/her mouth: a medication release mechanism, a built-in microprocessor for decision-making and dosage program, micro-sensors capable of determining concentration of selected medications in the blood stream, micro-actuators to release standard quantities of medication and a reservoir for selected medications. Take a look at this gadgetry here.

Now it seems to me someone equipped with the medication dispensing tooth will need an army of technicians and new providers to remove the unit from the mouth, refill the drug reservoir, clean the system, and replace the battery if needed. A bigger problem is the further erosion of oral health. Your friendly local dentist will tell you [go here to learn more if he won't] that sporting dentures have the following side effects: slippage and movement, speaking difficulties, unwanted sounds, difficulty chewing certain foods, sore spots at gums and area where denture is planted, bone loss and adjacent tooth destruction due to friction between the natural tooth and an alien device.

More studies must be done before IntelliDrug's medication dispensing tooth can be deemed the drug delivery system of the future. The device raises a number of practical concerns, among them "considerations for patients who still have their teeth as well as the potential inconvenience of having the device regularly refilled".