US 4,708,864 A · Method and compositions for treating dental structures

Abstract

Novel methods and dental compositions for treating dental structures, such as teeth and subgingival structures, are disclosed. Uniquely, the dental compositions contain metal complexes which are characterized as having a unique aqueous proton induced dissociation property represented by a sigmoidally-shaped curve on a cartesian coordinate plot of the negative log of the metal ion concentration versus the negative log of the hydrogen ion concentration. This unique dissociation property enables the metal complexes to release therapeutic metal ions in the oral cavity for forming metal coordination complexes or salts within the dental structures. The formation of such complexes or salts within the dental structures is particularly effective and highly resistant to enzymatic degradation associated with microbial activity. Also, the metal ions of this invention are highly effective in inactivating the enzyme secreted by microbes in the oral cavity to further attenuate the disintegration process. The metal complexes of the new and vastly improved dental compositions advantageously are highly soluble yet readily dissociable at pH ranges normally encountered in the human mouth. As the active ingredient, the dental compositions contain a monometal complex of a multi-valent heavy metal ion and a polyfunctional organic ligand in a ratio of about 1:1. An example of a dental composition employed is disodium monocopper (II) citrate in an amount of about 4 mg./ml., as copper, in a liquid vehicle having a pH of about 7.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A dental composition for treating a dental disorder including bad breath, caries, dental structure degradation, calculus accumulation and plaque formation, said dental composition comprises

a monometal complex comprised of a multivalent heavy metal ion and a polyfunctional organic ligand in a ratio of 1:1 the metal ion to the ligand selected from a group consisting of an organic acid and a substituted organic acid, the complex having an aqueous proton induced dissociation property represented by a sigmoidally-shaped curve on a cartesian coordinate plot of the negative log of the metal ion concentration versus the negative log of the hydrogen ion concentration, and
a pharmaceutically acceptable aqueous vehicle for said active ingredient wherein said dental composition is adapted to be applied in an effective amount to a dental structure to release said metal ions in a pH range of from about 4 to about 9 to treat the dental disorder.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and compositions for treating dental structures

Life of this patent

Method and compositions for treating dental structures

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims26