Polymeric drug delivery systems for intraoral site‐specific chemoprevention of oral cancer

Oral cancer is among the most prevalent cancers in the world. Moreover, it is one of the major health problems and causes of death in many regions of the world. The traditional treatment modalities include surgical removal, radiation therapy, systemic chemotherapy, or a combination of these methods. In recent decades, there has been significant interest in intraoral site‐specific chemoprevention via local drug delivery using polymeric systems. Because of its easy accessibility and clear visibility, the oral mucosa is amenable for local drug delivery. A variety of polymeric systems—such as gels, tablets, films, patches, injectable systems (e.g., millicylindrical implants, microparticles, and in situ ‐forming depots), and nanosized carriers (e.g., polymeric nanoparticles, nanofibers, polymer–drug conjugates, polymeric micelles, nanoliposomes, nanoemulsions, and polymersomes)—have been developed and evaluated for the local delivery of natural and synthetic chemopreventive agents. The findings of in vitro , ex vivo , and in vivo studies and the positive outcome of clinical trials demonstrate that intraoral site‐specific drug delivery is an attractive, highly effective and patient‐friendly strategy for the management of oral cancer. Intraoral site‐specific drug delivery provides unique therapeutic advantages when compared to systemic chemotherapy. Moreover, intraoral drug delivery systems are self‐administrable and can be removed when needed, increasing patient compliance. This article covers important aspects and advances related to the design, development, and efficacy of polymeric systems for intraoral site‐specific drug delivery. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1383–1413, 2018.