WO2021178465A1 - Buccal and enteric delivery of fatty acids with oral hygiene practices - Google Patents

Abstract

Described are an edible toothpaste or gel, including daytime and nighttime formulations, a drinkable mouthwash, including daytime and nighttime formulations, a dental floss or tape, including daytime and nighttime formulations, and a controlled dosage dispenser. The formulations include an endocannabinoid or endocannabinoid mimetic, caffeine (at least for daytime formulations), theanine or an equivalent, and an essential oil. Components are microencapsulated for buccal or enteric delivery.

Description

BUCCAL AND ENTERIC DELIVERY OF FATTY ACIDS WITH ORAL HYGIENE PRACTICES

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0001] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of a controlled dosage dispenser.

[0002] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example of a controlled toothpaste dosage and coated floss dispenser.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0003] Fatty acid formulations have been found to be useful as liver enzyme inhibitors, anti anxiety treatments, concentration/study aids, sleep aids, pan-peripheral pain management analgesics, inflammation reduces, and mechanisms for improving mood, to name several. A problem with delivery of fatty acids to consumers is in the deterioration of the fatty acids during manufacture, transportation, storage, and, after oral delivery, in the stomach. A first technique for ameliorating bioactivity deterioration in fatty acid delivery includes retarding oxidation of fatty acids during manufacture, transportation, and storage of the fatty acid. A second technique for ameliorating bioactivity deterioration in fatty acid delivery includes enteric microencapsulation to avoid destruction of fatty acids in the stomach in favor of dissolving the fatty acids in the small intestines.

[0004] An oral delivery system can include a bioactive component suspension. A suspension is a heterogeneous mixture in which the solute particles do not dissolve, but get suspended throughout the bulk of the solvent, left floating around freely in the medium. A suspension is typically defined as a heterogeneous mixture that contains solid particles sufficiently large for sedimentation, though the mixture is only classified as a suspension when and while the particles have not settled. Colloid suspensions are characterized as mixtures with particles (sometimes referred to as colloids) that do not settle or that would take a long time to settle appreciably. Colloids have a diameter of 1 micron or less (sometimes as small as 1 nanometer). Non-colloid solutions have suspended particles with a diameter of more than 1 micron (often as large as 50 microns in liquid without becoming noticeable on the palate or as large as 100 microns in food without becoming noticeable on the palate).

[0005] Suspensions are classified based on a dispersed phase and a dispersion medium. To create a suspension, typically an internal phase (solid) is dispersed throughout an external phase (fluid) through mechanical agitation, with the use of certain excipients or suspending agents. A suspension of liquid droplets or fine solid particles in a gas is called an aerosol (for non-colloid suspensions, it may be referred to as a spray or dust). Gases, liquids, and solids can be suspended in liquid to create a foam, emulsion, or liquid sol, which are the most applicable in this paper because each of these types of suspensions is represented by a number of common foods (e.g., whipped cream is a foam, mayonnaise is an emulsion, and milk (protein fraction) is a sol). Gases, liquids and solids can also be suspended in solids to create a solid foam, gel, or solid sol. Gels have the potential to deliver bioactives via a gelatin, such as a gummy bear. If it is desirable to draw a distinction between colloidal solutions and non-colloidal solutions, the term colloidal or non-colloidal can be appended to any of aerosol, foam, emulsion, sol, or gel (e.g., colloidal aerosol or non-colloidal gel).

[0006] Fluids can include solutions; colloids and suspensions are different from solution, in which the dissolved substance (solute) does not exist as a solid, and solvent and solute are homogeneously mixed. Some examples of solutions with liquid dispersion mediums are oxygen (gas) dissolved in water, alcohol, and sugar (solid) dissolved in water.

[0007] An example of a suspension is enterically microencapsulated fatty acids in a fluid. The term “fluid” is sometimes used in such a manner as to be synonymous with “liquid”, but the term can have a broader definition, as was discussed in the preceding paragraphs. To the extent a distinction is desired, a fluid can be characterized as having a free surface in order to distinguish it from gaseous suspensions. A free surface is the surface of a fluid that is subject to zero parallel shear stress. Fluidized solids, including slurries, granular materials, and powders may form a free surface. Many foods are fluids, such as ketchup and syrup (pseudoplastic fluids), whipped cream and gummies (viscoelastic fluids), yogurt and peanut butter (thixotropic fluids), and custard (generalized Newtonian fluids), which makes delivery of bioactives via a fluid appealing.

[0008] In a specific implementation, a tincture has 40% to 60% alcohol as a suspension with polar and nonpolar aspects. In an alternative, the range is 10% to 80% for more concentrated/dilute bioactives. Although perhaps technically inaccurate, some people may refer to an “oil tincture” as a product that is between a tincture and an oil drop. In a specific implementation, an oil drop includes a hemp seed emulsion. In an alternative, the oil drop includes another oil, such jojoba, avocado, or olive oil, to name several. Short fatty acids can act as penetration enhancers (e.g., eucalyptol, limonene). In an alternative, bioactives are suspended in toilet water.

[0009] In a specific implementation a food-grade emulsifier is used (see the GRAS list) to create a product for consumption. A carrier oil can be used to dissolve gel-soluble components and water to dissolve water-soluble components. In the formulations provided in this paper, water is assumed to be the solvent unless otherwise explicitly stated or context dictates otherwise. [0010] In a specific implementation, bioactives are enterically microencapsulated. Enteric microencapsulation is intended to represent enteric polymeric system added to the matrix of a dosage form or applied as a coating to produce a particle of between 1 and 100 microns with a bioactive that has a tractus digestorius delayed release. In a specific implementation, the bioactive is CBD that has a canalis gastrointestinales delayed release. Substances appropriate for such an implementation include shellac (esters of aleurtic acid), such as EmCoat 120 N and Marcoat 125; Zein; Cellulose Acetate Phthalate (CAP); cellulose acetate, such as Aquacoat CPD, Sepifilm LP, Klucel, Aquacoat ECD, and Metolose; Poly Vinyl Acetate Phthalate (PVAP), such as Sureteric; Hyroxylpropylcellulose; Hydroxy Propyl Methyl Cellulose (HPMC), such as HPMC 50, HPMC 55, HPMC 55-s; HydroxyPropyl MethylCellulose Phthalate (HPMCP); and acrylate polymers (methacrylate), such as Eudragit L and Eudragit S. In an alternative, the bioactive is THC, an omega 3 fatty acid, or some other fatty acid.

[0011] An example of an edible toothpaste or gel product will now be discussed. The specific implementation described can be characterized as a morning toothpaste formulation with:

[0012] 80 mg CBD

[0013] 80 mg caffeine

[0014] 160 mg theanine

[0015] 10 mg (2%) peppermint oil

[0016] 0.5 mg (0.1%) clove essential oil

[0017] 0.5 mg (0.1%) fluoride

[0018] 50 mg (10%) erythritol

[0019] 1 mg (1%) sodium laurel sulfate (SLS)

[0020] 50 mg (10%) carrageenan

[0021] The latter ingredients are best represented as a ratio of a nurdle. In a specific implementation, a nurdle of toothpaste is about 500 mg. In this specific implementation, 80 mg of CBD is provided in a dose. It may be desirable to increase nurdle size to 600 mg to make room for 100 mg CBD, 100 mg caffeine, and 200 mg theanine, which is believed to be an ideal dosage for a “strong cup of coffee” implementation as it matches the caffeine content of a modern cup of coffee and maintains a 1 : 1 ratio of CBD to caffeine and 1 :2 ratio of caffeine to theanine. (From a pharmacological standpoint, a low dose of caffeine can be as high as about 200 mg or 3 mg/kg of body weight, meaning a “strong cup of coffee” can be characterized as having a low dose of caffeine.) It is understood many individuals exceed the recommended nurdle size, which can be considered a waste of toothpaste and, in the case of a morning toothpaste, can result in over- indulgence of caffeine. Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide a dispenser that controls the quantity of toothpaste dispensed at a time to prevent unintentional overindulgence.

[0022] Potassium nitrate is believed to be a treatment for sensitive dentin due to nerve desensitization. While use of potassium nitrate in toothpaste for this purpose has increased every decade, the desensitization mechanism of potassium-containing toothpaste remains unclear. The use of nano-hydroxyapatite as an alternative to potassium nitrate has been increasing recently. It is believed an analgesic alternative can be as effective, particularly if supplemented with a chewing gum treatment. Methyl salicylate is frequently used in mouthwash as a localized analgesic. While methyl salicylate is used in some foods, such as breath mints, it is toxic in even relatively modest concentrations. Other salicylates, such as trolamine salicylate, are effective analgesics but are even more toxic.

[0023] CBD has dual activity in that it addresses both pain and inflammation, which may be considered desirable in toothpaste. “Cannabidiol: From an Inactive Cannabinoid to a Drug with Wide Spectrum of Action,” by Zuardi (Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, Vo. 30, No. 3, pp. 271- 280, September 2008); “An Entourage Effect: Inactive Endogenous Fatty Acid Glycerol Esters Enhance 2-Arachidonoyl-Glycerol Cannabinoid Activity,” by Ben-Shabat et al. (European Journal of Pharmacology, Vol. 353, No. 1, pp. 23-31, July 1998); and “2-Arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) Membrane Transport: History and Outlook,” by Hermann et al. (The AAPS Journal, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. E409-E412, June 2006) are hereby incorporated by reference herein. Among other features, CBD binds to the CB2 receptor on T-Cells, causing a reduction in inflammatory mediators, and binds to the transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TrpVl), which is a pain receptor also known as the capsaicin receptor and the vanilloid receptor 1. Thus, CBD can be characterized as operating on the cell level to reduce both pain and inflammation.

[0024] In a specific implementation, microencapsulated CBD is provided as an analgesic in an edible toothpaste. In this specific implementation, 20 mg of the CBD is microencapsulated for buccal delivery to act as a localized analgesic in the mouth. CBD is degraded in the stomach but, as was discussed above, CBD is readily absorbed in mucosa. Although it is recognized not all patients will follow best practices, bioavailability estimates assume the amount of time spent brushing is 2 minutes, which is the time span over which the edible toothpaste remains in the mouth and which is long enough to make almost all of CBD formulated for buccal delivery bioavailable. Accordingly, when the product is used as directed, the CBD remains in the mouth long enough to achieve over 90% bioavailability. Thus, the amount of buccally delivered CBD can be added to that of enterically delivered CBD to determine a total systemic dose.

[0025] A low dose of CBD, of 50 mg or less, acts as a stimulant, making a 20 mg to 50 mg appropriate for formulations that have a goal of reducing the amount of CBD to below a dosage that would have a sedative effect. Because it is desirable to maintain a CBD-to-caffeine ratio of about 1:1, such a formulation could be characterized as a “weak cup of coffee” formulation. If a low dose of CBD is desired, the same dose of buccally delivered CBD as described above can be provided (20 mg in this specific implementation), but the amount of CBD formulated for enteric delivery can be reduced to 30 mg or eliminated entirely for a “decaf’ option (though 20 mg of caffeine is still more than the caffeine content of a cup of decaffeinated coffee, which has about 5 mg of caffeine).

[0026] Because CB2 receptors have a low affinity for CBD, large doses of CBD have increasingly advantageous pharmacological effects. However, CBD is relatively expensive, so the ratio of CBD to other components is more prone to cost/efficacy trade-offs than other components of the formulation. Alternatives can skimp on CBD and even drop the ratio of CBD-to-caffeine below the recommended 1 : 1 ratio, which should have acceptable effects so long as the caffeine is not in such a high dosage that it causes jitters.

[0027] A moderate dose of CBD, of 50 mg to 100 mg, can act as a sedative. While this may seem to act in cross-purposes to the stimulant effect desired in a product designed to, at least, improve wakefulness, it has been found the sedative effect reduces jitters, which are a side effect of stimulants like caffeine, particularly with overindulgence. This can address jitters for a formulation that includes caffeine or for a low-caffeine edible toothpaste supplemented with a caffeinated beverage. In addition to the 20 mg of CBD microencapsulated for buccal delivery in this specific implementation, 60 mg of the CBD is microencapsulated for enteric delivery. Accordingly, nearly 80 mg of CBD from the edible toothpaste should be bioavailable despite degradation of a small amount of the buccally delivered CBD in the stomach. In “full strength” alternatives, a nurdle of toothpaste recommended to be used by adults when brushing their teeth has more than 50 mg CBD but not more than 100 mg CBD.

[0028] A greater proportion of CBD may be desirable for the purpose of binding to theorized CBD3 receptors or other presently poorly defined receptors with less affinity for CBD. A high dose of CBD, over 100 mg up to less than 250 mg can have a sedative effect that may be effective for certain individuals, though it is unlikely desirable to reach 250 mg, which is approaching a generally undesirable (though useful in certain medical applications) liver enzyme inhibition dose. Although, currently marketed energy drinks have as much as 250 mg caffeine, it would be difficult to fit that much caffeine into a nurdle while maintaining a 1 : 1 ratio of CBD-to-caffeine (not to mention the 1:2 ratio of caffeine-to-theanine), so the upper ranges of CBD become largely irrelevant in this particular product due to volumetric constraints. If CBD is replaced with an endocannabinoid with (an estimated) 1,000 times the affinity of CBD, such as 2-Lineoleoyl- glycerol (3443-82-1) or 2-Palmitolyl-glycerol (23470-00-0), an alternative formulation could have 0.025 mg to 0.1 mg endocannabinoid, but the formulation would likely be much more expensive than CBD. An advantage of such a formulation is nurdle size can be kept small (around 500 mg) and about 40% more caffeine, assuming the caffeine-to-theanine ratio is kept at 1:2, can be fit into that volume.

[0029] An edible toothpaste can include an endocannabinoid mimetic, such as a synthetic cannabinoid, as a component. Examples of endocannabinoid mimetics are 18-Hydroxypalmitic acid (juniperic acid), AM404 (18718-77-6), and guineesine. In an alternative that includes, e.g., juniperic acid and CBD, the juniperic acid enables the CBD to linger for longer. Advantageously, because the “side effects” are reduced pain and inflammation, the composition would be safe as an oral treatment.

[0030] The name "theanine" without a prefix generally implies the enantiomer L-theanine, which is the form found in tea leaves and as a dietary supplement ingredient. It has been found that the combination of caffeine and theanine can improve word recognition, attention switching, mood, distractibility, relative to baseline. In a specific implementation, the ratio of caffeine to theanine is 1:2, which is believed to provide excellent correlation between dosage and the just- mentioned improvements. As such, in the example describe in the preceding paragraph, 160 mg of theanine is believed to be a good dosage for an 80 mg caffeine product. To the extent caffeine has a delayed release, the theanine would also benefit from delayed release. Alternatives to theanine include perrottetinene (PET), THC, procaine, or the like.

[0031] An immediate effect of caffeine and theanine is not necessary, so an enteric delayed release is appropriate to maximize bioavailability of the components and to have a pharmacological effect at approximately the same time as the pharmacological effect of the CBD. Accordingly, in this specific implementation, 100% (80 mg) of the caffeine and 100% (160 mg) of the theanine is microencapsulated for enteric delivery.

[0032] In an alternative edible morning toothpaste, caffeine is omitted from the edible toothpaste and theanine is microencapsulated for (predicted) release when a morning coffee is consumed. While this has an appealing lifestyle approach that enables a person to brush in the morning and have their cup of coffee, it is more desirable from a therapeutic perspective to control the ratio of caffeine and theanine for optimal concentration enhancement effects. Nevertheless, benefits can be achieved for whatever product is demanded.

[0033] A foaming agent, thickener, dye, or flavoring can be added to a toothpaste for aesthetic purposes. However, some flavoring is also functional. For example, peppermint (essential) oil acts as a localized analgesic, antibacterial, and penetration enhancer in addition to providing a minty flavor. For a more immediate analgesic impact, CBD is combined with menthol (peppermint oil is about 40.7% menthol), which also binds to the TrpVl receptor, but with an immediate response. It typically takes over 20 minutes for CBD absorbed through mucosa to provide significant pain relief, but it lasts longer than the pain relief provided from menthol, making it a synergistic combination. As a penetration enhancer, the peppermint oil improves absorption of buccally delivered CBD, which can ameliorate the effects of patient error or haste when brushing, enabling patients to brush for less time than is recommended while still absorbing a large proportion of CBD orally. Although menthol is relatively toxic (a lethal dose can be as little as 50mg/kg), it is frequently used as an additive to food in very low concentrations, so safe use of menthol in food is well-understood. (Methyl salicylate could also be used in a concentration of 0.04% concentration or less to be safe.) Camphor can be used in lieu of (or in addition to) menthol and is used in some foods and as a cough suppressant but may not be as effective an analgesic as menthol.

[0034] In the specific implementation described above, 10 mg (2%) of peppermint oil is provided in a dose. However, peppermint oil can have a pharmacological effect at much lower concentrations, as low as 0.02%. Although peppermint oil has a pharmacological effect at 2.5% or higher concentration, the menthol content of peppermint oil would make the product an over the counter (OTC) medication, which is less appealing for a mass-market toothpaste product. Microencapsulation of peppermint oil for buccal delivery can protect the peppermint oil from oxidation or other degradation during the manufacturing process, storage and transport, or after the product is opened.

[0035] Of varying degrees of toxicity, not all of which has been adequately researched, common antimicrobials used in oral hygiene products are chlorhexidine gluconate, benzethonium chloride, benzalkonium chloride, alkyl diaminoethylgly cine hydrochloride, and chloroxylenol. Chloroxylenol is poisonous when ingested. Alkyldiaminoethylglycine hydrochloride is not approved as a food additive. Benzalkonium chloride is classed as a Category III antiseptic active ingredient by the United States Food and Drug Administration, which means "available data are insufficient to classify as safe and effective, and further testing is required”. Benzethonium chloride is not approved as a food additive in the U.S. or Europe, making it an unsuitable ingredient of an edible toothpaste. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA recommendation is to limit the use of a chlorhexidine gluconate mouthwash to a maximum of six months and chlorhexidine gluconate is not approved as a food additive. Because the specific implementation described above is for a toothpaste, it is expected the unencapsulated essential oil will remain in the mouth for a relatively long time if used as directed, so a less aggressive antimicrobial than, e.g., chlorhexidine gluconate is believed to be adequate for routine oral antimicrobial treatments.

[0036] In a specific implementation, an edible toothpaste includes buccally delivered clove essential oil. Clove essential oil has a relatively pleasant taste and odor and clove essential oil has been found to be an effective anti -bacterial and anti-fungal substance and is a penetration enhancer. As a penetration enhancer, the clove essential oil improves absorption of buccally delivered CBD, which can ameliorate the effects of patient error or haste when brushing, enabling patients to brush for less time than is recommended while still absorbing a large proportion of CBD orally. Both in vivo and in vitro results have confirmed the efficacy of clove extract as an antimicrobial against staphylococcus aureus, escherichia coli, brochothrix thermosphacta, lactobacillus rhamnosus, pseudomonas fluorescens, and other bacterial strains, molds, and yeasts. Alternatives include achillea species, basil, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, fennel, galangal, garlic, ginger, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and other spices that have been shown to have antibacterial and antifungal effects. Advantageously, these spices are routinely consumed in foods so safe usage is well understood.

[0037] Although its therapeutic effectiveness is disputed, particularly in South Korea and India, eugenol (clove essential oil is about 89% eugenol) is used to relieve toothache. In alternatives, other essential oils can be used instead of clove essential oil. Of note particularly in the toothpaste context, eugenol naturally occurs in several plants, including cloves, cinnamon, cinnamomum tamala, nutmeg, sweet basil, African basil, holy basil, Japanese star anise, and lemon balm; eugenol can also be modified to taste like vanilla.

[0038] In the specific implementation described above, 0.5 mg (0.1%) clove essential oil is provided in a dose. However, clove essential oil can have a pharmacological effect at much lower concentrations, as low as 0.00001%. Due in part to the toxicity of clove essential oil, the highest concentration believed to be appropriate for an edible toothpaste product is 0.15%. Microencapsulation of clove essential oil for buccal delivery can protect the clove essential oil from oxidation or other degradation during the manufacturing process, storage and transport, or after the product is opened.

[0039] Although there are fluoride-free toothpaste alternatives, fluoride is generally seen as an important toothpaste ingredient. Fluoride is added to drinking water not only to prevent tooth decay, the effectiveness of which is now beyond dispute, but also to promote healthy bone growth. Consumption of fluoride in small amounts, therefore, is desirable.

[0040] In the specific implementation described above, 0.5 mg (0.1%) fluoride is provided in a dose. However, fluoride can have a pharmacological effect at much lower concentrations, as low as 0.0001%. It is also believed to be safe and effective in higher concentrations, as high as 1% being appropriate for an edible toothpaste product as described here.

[0041] Alcohol is used in mouthwash more frequently than toothpaste but sugar alcohols, including xylitol and sorbitol, are common in toothpaste and commercially available foods. Sugar alcohols do not cause tooth decay because they are not metabolized by oral bacteria. Sugar alcohols also do not dry out the mouth like alcohol, which is associated with halitosis and discomfort. Sugar alcohols can serve as a humectant in toothpaste. It has been found erythritol, another sugar alcohol, is more effective than xylitol and sorbitol in oral health care.

[0042] In the specific implementation described above, 50 mg (10%) erythritol is provided in a dose. It is generally undesirable to reduce the concentration of erythritol much below 10% but as low as 5% may still be adequate to provide a slightly sweet flavor and penetration enhancement, humectant, and thickening effect. A concentration as high as 30% can have beneficial effects but may not leave room for other components in the size of nurdle that is assumed in the specific implementation described here, though it is viable as a “weak cup of coffee” formulation. A concentration of up to 60% erythritol (and 39% water) is theoretically possible but such a concentration is not feasible without increasing nurdle size and crowding out other desirable components.

[0043] SLS is considered a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) ingredient for food use according to the USFDA (21 CFR 172.822). It is used as an emulsifying agent and whipping aid. It is used in toothpaste as a foaming agent and thickener. In this specific implementation, it is deemed appropriate for use in an edible toothpaste for essentially the same reasons it is used in commercially available (inedible) toothpastes. Because SLS is primarily aesthetic in its effects, though the function of allowing the product to be thick enough for placement on a brush is more than aesthetic, its concentration could be reduced or eliminated entirely. Commercially available toothpastes have concentrations of up to 2%, which is believed to be adequate as an upper limit, though there would be little harm (and little benefit) in increasing the concentration further.

[0044] Sugar alcohols, water, and carrageenan can all or in combination serve as a humectant in toothpaste. Carrageenan is also used as a thickener and stabilizer, which is useful for giving toothpaste a desired consistency, and a vegan alternative to gelatin. It is used in some commercially available toothpastes as a stabilizer. While its concentration could be reduced, it would likely be desirable to replace the carrageenan with some other thickener or stabilizer. A concentration as high as 30% can have beneficial effects but may not leave room for other components in the size of nurdle that is assumed in the specific implementation described here, though it is viable as a “weak cup of coffee” formulation. Alternatives to carrageenan include xanthan gum, cellulose, and glycerin.

[0045] Metronidazole, penicillin, amoxicillin, or some other antibacterial and potassium nitrate or some other component used to address pain, including sensitive teeth, can be microencapsulated for buccal delivery, as well.

[0046] Advantageously, microencapsulation of ingredients known to address oral hygiene issues provides an abrasive particle, a protective coating for bioactives, and a coating for releasing bioactives at target locations within the gastrointestinal tract. Calcium carbonate has some advantages for an edible toothpaste in that it has proven efficacy in toothpaste to provide antiseptic, teeth whitening, and plaque removal effect, plus it counteracts acidity in the mouth. Moreover, calcium carbonate and fluoride synergistically promote calcium replacement in teeth and calcium carbonate could serve as a calcium supplement (though the amount of calcium provided would be relatively low). In the specific implementation described above, calcium carbonate coats 20 mg of CBD, 100% of the caffeine, 100% of the theanine, 100% of the peppermint oil, and 100% of the clove essential oil for buccal delivery. Alternatives to calcium carbonate include magnesium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, and various calcium hydrogen phosphates, to name a few.

[0047] The abrasive particles in an edible toothpaste should be relatively small, 4 to 12 pm, to provide an abrasive effect like that of commercially available toothpastes. The toothpaste should be abrasive enough to remove stains and plaque but not damage tooth enamel. The particle size could be increased to as high as 100 pm but that is a pretty grainy. Even at 50 pm, which is barely discernible when rubbed between the fingers, the toothpaste is abrasive relative to commercially available toothpastes. At 1 pm, the particles may be too fine to have a desired abrasive effect, but this may be appropriate for a gentle edible toothpaste, such as a “magic” toothpaste, as described later, formulated for use after surgery or because the teeth or mouth are sensitive for some other reason. In the specific implementation described above, the calcium carbonate particles encapsulate bioactive components. In an alternative, a first subplurality of the calcium carbonate particles are microencapsulants and a second subplurality of the calcium carbonate particles are not microencapsulants.

[0048] Thus far, primarily microencapsulation for buccal delivery has been described in association with an edible toothpaste. In addition, shellac or an alternative material, examples of which are described above, can be used for enteric delivery, examples of which have been described above. In this specific implementation, all but 20 mg of CBD are enterically delivered, along with all the caffeine and theanine.

[0049] It may be desirable to provide a “magic” edible toothpaste that is formulated for a particular use. Magic mouthwashes are typically defined as prescription mouthwashes compounded in a pharmacy from a list of ingredients specified by a doctor. The term is expanded in this paper to apply to edible toothpaste and to include cosmeceuticals or edible toothpaste formulated to deliver fatty acids enterically. For example, a cognitive enhancing edible toothpaste can be formulated for morning use, a sleep aiding edible toothpaste for nighttime use, a cosmeceutical edible toothpaste formulated to treat a medical condition, or a pharmaceutical edible toothpaste compounded in a pharmacy from a list of ingredients specified by a doctor.

[0050] Because a patient will generally not use more toothpaste than fits on a toothbrush, macroscopic dosage can be controlled relatively easily and the person using the toothpaste can be relied upon to regulate intake as desired. Commercially available toothpaste dispensers generally dispense too much toothpaste, so it would be advantageous to control for dosage. Particularly when using essential oils, which are toxic when over-consumed, a controlled dosage dispenser may be desirable. The process of brushing one’s teeth often includes two hands, a first hand to hold a tube of toothpaste and a second hand to open the tube of toothpaste and hold a brush while squeezing some toothpaste from the tube with the first hand. A hands-free controlled dosage dispenser can be advantageous when attempting to control dosage while one hand is holding a toothbrush.

[0051] FIG. 1 is a diagram 100 of an example of a hands-free controlled dosage dispenser. The diagram 100 includes a toothpaste dispenser 102, a bracket 104, a toothpaste tube 106, a toothpaste enhancement capsule 108, and a toothbrush 110. The toothpaste dispenser 102 includes a toothpaste dispenser enclosure 112 operationally connected to the bracket 104; a toothpaste tube collar 114 operationally connected to the toothpaste tube 106; a toothpaste enhancement capsule collar 116 operationally connected to the toothpaste enhancement capsule 108; a dispensing lever 118 operationally connected to the toothpaste dispenser enclosure 112; a dispensing outlet 120 operationally connected to the toothpaste dispenser enclosure 112; a compounding chamber 122 adjoining the toothpaste tube collar 114, the toothpaste enhancement capsule collar 116, and the dispensing outlet 120; a pressure pump 124; a check valve 126 operationally connected to the pressure pump 126 and the toothpaste dispenser enclosure 112; a lever linkage engine 128 coupling the dispensing lever 122 to the dispensing outlet 120 and the dispensing lever 122 to the check valve 126; and a pressure release valve 130 operationally connected to the toothpaste dispenser enclosure 112.

[0052] In an expected use case, the toothpaste dispenser 102 is affixed to a wall (not shown) via the bracket 104. A patient or human or artificial agent thereof attaches the toothpaste tube 106 to the toothpaste tube collar 114. In a specific implementation, the toothpaste tube collar 114 is threaded to enable the patent or agent thereof to unscrew a cap (not shown) from the toothpaste tube 106 and engage the threads of the toothpaste tube 106 to the toothpaste tube collar 114. In an alternative, the toothpaste tube 106 is engaged with the toothpaste tube collar 114 with a latch, an adhesive, or in some other applicable manner. The patent or agent thereof also attaches the enhancement capsule 108 to the enhancement capsule collar 116. In a specific implementation, the enhancement capsule 108 is attached in the same manner as the toothpaste tube 106 is attached to the toothpaste tube collar 114. In the expected use case, the patient uses the toothbrush 110 to engage the dispensing lever 118 to move the dispensing outlet 120 to cause the compounding chamber 122 to release its contents onto the toothbrush 110.

[0053] The pressure pump 124 passes air through the check valve 126 into a pressurized chamber encompassed by the toothpaste dispenser enclosure 112, thereby increasing pressure within the pressurized chamber. The toothpaste tube 106 and the enhancement capsule 108, which are located within the pressurized chamber, are squeezed by the increased pressure to force respective contents of the toothpaste tube 106 and enhancement capsule 108 through the toothpaste tube collar 114 and the enhancement capsule collar 116, respectively, and into the compounding chamber 122. In an alternative to a pressurized chamber, the toothpaste tube 106 and enhancement capsule 108 can have their contents expelled using rollers, clamps, or some other applicable system.

[0054] The lever linkage engine 128 translates force from activation of the dispensing lever 118 to a force that moves the dispensing outlet 120, thereby causing the compounding chamber 122 to release its contents. In a specific implementation, the dispensing lever activates a crank pin and linkage to pull the dispensing outlet 120 into the compounding chamber 122, which causes the contents of the compounding chamber 122 to be squeezed out of the compounding chamber 122. When the dispensing lever 118 returns to its starting position, the lever linkage engine 128 activates the crank pin and linkage to allow a spring (not shown) to push the dispensing outlet 120 back into place, sealing the compounding chamber 122 from the outside environment. In an alternative, the lever linkage engine 128 operates to squeeze the compounding chamber 122 (e.g., by pushing walls of the compounding chamber 122 inward), flush the compounding chamber 122 with a fluid, or performs some other applicable technique to vacate the compounding chamber 122.

[0055] The lever linkage engine 128 also translates force from activation of the dispensing lever 118 to a force that causes the check valve 126 to allow intake of air from the pressure pump 124 into the pressurized chamber formed by walls of the toothpaste dispenser enclosure 112. In a specific implementation, the dispensing lever 118 directly engages and activates the pressure pump 124, which generates enough air pressure to cause the check valve 126 to open and allow the air to enter the pressurized chamber. In an alternative, the lever linkage engine 128 activates the pressure pump 124 with a crank pin and linkage operationally connected to the dispensing lever 118 or activates the pressure pump 124 in some other applicable manner. It may be necessary to “prime” the system by activating the dispensing lever 118 one or more times after a toothpaste tube 106 and/or enhancement capsule 108 has been newly attached to build up pressure within the pressurized chamber and to cause contents of the toothpaste tube 106 and/or enhancement capsule 108 to flow into the compounding chamber 122.

[0056] The pressure release valve 130 is intended to release air from the pressurized chamber if the pressure reaches a level that is deemed to be too high. The pressure release valve 130 can serve to reduce the risk of damaging the toothpaste dispenser 102 by causing too much pressure to build up within the pressurized chamber. In implementations that use something other than pressure, such as rollers, to expel contents from the toothpaste tube 106, the pressure release valve 130 may be eliminated.

[0057] The enhancement capsule 108 is intended to represent components that cause toothpaste that is in the toothpaste tube 106 to become “magic” toothpaste, which was described above. The enhancement capsule 108 is unnecessary if the toothpaste in the toothpaste tube 106 already has all desired components included in its formulation. In an alternative that does not include the compounding chamber 122, contents of the enhancement capsule 108 can be released into a first chamber and contents of the toothpaste tube 106 can be released into a second chamber, and the combined contents can be compounded on the brush when both are released by the dispensing outlet 120.

[0058] An example of another edible toothpaste or gel product will now be discussed. The specific implementation described can be characterized as a nighttime toothpaste formulation with:

[0059] lOO mg CBD

[0060] 2 mg pyridoxine tripalmitate

[0061] 200 mg theanine

[0062] 10 mg (2%) peppermint oil

[0063] 0.5 mg (0.1%) clove essential oil

[0064] 20 mg (4%) potassium nitrate

[0065] 0.5 mg (0.1%) fluoride

[0066] 50 mg (10%) erythritol

[0067] 1 mg (1%) sodium laurel sulfate (SLS)

[0068] 50 mg (10%) carrageenan

[0069] In a specific implementation, a nurdle of edible nighttime toothpaste includes 50 mg CBD microencapsulated for buccal delivery. This moderate dose of CBD should have a relatively fast-acting mild sedative effect on some patients that is not counter balanced with a stimulant like caffeine, and when the remainder of the CBD, which is enterically delivered, becomes bioavailable, the sedative effect should be more pronounced.

[0070] A low dose of CBD can act as a stimulant but, due to the high dosage necessary for liver enzyme inhibition, it is expected the CBD will act as a sedative when an entire dose of CBD (typically multiple gummy bears in this example) is absorbed. Indeed, the dosage is far higher than would likely be recommended as a mood enhancer, sleep aid, study aid, analgesic, or other treatment. Caffeine, particularly when combined with theanine, has been found to offset sedative effects of a high dose of CBD and can also act as a study aid and mood enhancer. Alternatives to caffeine include theophylline, theobromine, or guarana, to name several.

[0071] Advantageously, the CBD and pyridoxine tripalmitate are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream to provide a fast-acting anti-anxiety effect. B6 helps the body produce neurotransmitters (e.g., serotonin); it can block glutamate and help the brain learn to calm. As a point of comparison, B6 is typically about 75% bioavailable when consumed and absorbed tractus digestorius , while a mucosal quick release of pyridoxine tripalmitate, which is more effective at going across mucosal barriers than other forms of vitamin B6 is over 90% bioavailable if retained in the mouth for several seconds. B6 can also be delivered enterically with nearly 100% bioavailability, as well.

[0072] Pyridoxine tripalmitate dosage can be reduced from the amounts provided for this specific implementation but should exceed 0.1 mg to have pharmacological effect. As high as 50 mg pyridoxine tripalmitate could continue to see mood elevation effects, though beyond 50 mg the therapeutic advantage is not expected to increase. However, the recommended maximum daily intake of B6 is: Children 1-3 years, 30 mg; Children 4-8 years, 40 mg; Children 9-13 years, 60 mg; Adults, pregnant and breast-feeding women, 14-18 years, 80 mg; and Adults, pregnant and breast-feeding women, over 18 years, 100 mg.

[0073] Due to a relatively high log P (XLogP3-AA 6.5), CBD is readily absorbed via mucosa. Other endocannabinoids also typically have relatively high log P. Erythritol acts as a penetration enhancer, which is useful because it reduces the amount of time CBD-containing formulation must remain in the mouth to absorb a desired amount of the proportion of CBD intended for buccal delivery. Pyridoxine tripalmitate provides B6 in a form that is particularly suitable for absorption through mucosa due to its exceptionally high log P (e.g., XLogP3-AA 22.4).

[0074] Theanine, as noted above, improves cognition synergistically with caffeine. For a nighttime toothpaste formulation, however, it is undesirable to stimulate the patient. Nevertheless, theanine can be used as a mood enhancer without the synergistic effects of caffeine.

[0075] The desired ratio of pyridoxine tripalmitate to theanine is between 1:50 and 1:100. Alcoholism, liver disease, and some drugs can cause low levels of B6, making a higher dose for certain patients useful. It should also be noted that 100 mg is the maximum daily allowance for B6 (30 mg for a 1 year old), making a dosage below 30 mg desirable, with 3 mg being a safe option for small tube of toothpaste (of about 10 doses) because, even if consumed by a child, it would be safe. The risk can be ameliorated with a dosage control pump and child safety lock.

[0076] An accurate dosage of B6 may be advantageous when addressing sensitive issues, such as controlling intake of folate, B6, and B12, during pregnancy. In women’s health alternative implementation of the product provided in this example, issues associated with post-menopausal syndrome (PMS) can be addressed by adding magnesium in an approximately 4:1 ratio magnesium to pyridoxine triacetate. In an alternative, the formulation provided above is modified to include 8 mg magnesium, while maintaining the indicated ratios of essential oils, fluoride, erythritol, SLS, and carrageenan, which may or may not modestly increase nurdle size.

[0077] Peppermint oil and clove essential oil are intended to provide the same benefits described above with reference to a daytime edible toothpaste formulation.

[0078] CBD can be used instead of potassium nitrate or a salicylate to treat pain. However, in this specific implementation, a sensitive dentin formulation includes potassium nitrate for buccal delivery. Although commercially available toothpastes include 5% potassium nitrate, it is not clear such a high concentration, while safe, is better than a 4% concentration at reducing dentin sensitivity. Moreover, a regimen of daily doses of CBD, as would be provided in a daily-use toothpaste, are expected to make a 3% concentration viable, though this specific implementation includes more conservative 4% concentration. If it is determined a lower concentration is just as effective as a 4% concentration, the concentration of potassium nitrate can be reduced.

[0079] In an alternative, the potassium nitrate is removed or replaced with some other component, such as water-soluble peptide extracts formulated for enteric delivery. Commercially available probiotic drinks have theoretical health benefits from probiotics, but probiotics are extremely prone to degradation in the stomach; probiotics are best delivered enterically. In a specific implementation, water-soluble peptide extracts are microencapsulated for enteric delivered. Relative to the daytime edible toothpaste formulation described previously, the elimination of caffeine in the formulation leaves room for a water-soluble peptide extract without increasing nurdle size; similar nurdle size may be desirable when pairing daytime and nighttime edible toothpaste in a comprehensive oral care product suite. Microencapsulated water-soluble peptide extracts could also be included in a “weak coffee” formulation of a daytime edible toothpaste or nurdle size could be increased to 600 mg (or more) while maintaining approximately the same concentrations of peppermint oil, clove essential oil, fluoride, erythritol, SLS, and carrageenan to make room for the water-soluble peptide extracts.

[0080] Fluoride is intended to provide the same benefits described above with reference to a daytime edible toothpaste formulation but may also improve dentin sensitivity reduction when paired with potassium nitrate. Erythritol, SLS, and carrageenan are intended to provide the same benefits described above with reference to a daytime edible toothpaste.

[0081] This specific implementation can include components to treat a medical condition without impacting nurdle size relative to a daytime edible toothpaste’s nurdle size by removing caffeine from the formulation, leaving room for other components. As was mentioned above with reference to the inclusion of potassium nitrate in the formulation, relative to the daytime edible toothpaste formulation described previously, the elimination of caffeine in the formulation leaves room for another component (a water-soluble peptide extract was the example provided above) without increasing nurdle size. Advantageously, similar nurdle size can be maintained when providing a “magic” nighttime edible toothpaste allowing a patient to follow the same oral care regimen including a daytime edible toothpaste, with the same amount of toothpaste, as they did prior to being provided with the magic nighttime edible toothpaste.

[0082] Mouthwash may include denatured alcohol, such as methyl alcohol, which should not be consumed because it can cause blindness, organ failure, and death. Other ingredients of mouthwash that are harmful if over-consumed include chlorhexidine gluconate, ethyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and methyl salicylate. Minor and transient side effects of mouthwashes are common, such as taste disturbance, tooth staining, sensation of a dry mouth, etc. Alcohol- containing mouthwashes may make dry mouth and halitosis worse because alcohol dries out the mouth. Alcohol is added to mouthwash not to destroy bacteria (although it can) but to act as a carrier agent for essential active ingredients such as menthol, eucalyptol and thymol which help to penetrate plaque; it may also be provided in relatively high proportion so the mouthwash has a “bite” to it.

[0083] Rinsing with water or mouthwash after brushing with a fluoride toothpaste can reduce the availability of salivary fluoride. This can lower the anti-cavity re-mineralization and antibacterial effects of fluoride. Fluoridated mouthwash may mitigate this effect or in high concentrations increase available fluoride.

[0084] An example of a drinkable mouthwash will now be discussed. The specific implementation described can be characterized as a morning mouthwash formulation with:

[0085] 100 mg CBD

[0086] 100 mg caffeine

[0087] 200 mg theanine

[0088] 200 mg (1%) peppermint oil

[0089] 10 mg (0.05%) clove essential oil

[0090] 10 mg (0.05%) fluoride

[0091] 2 g (10%) erythritol

[0092] 40 mg (1%) sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) [0093] The formulation provided in this specific implementation is like the formulation for an edible morning toothpaste, described previously, but the expected dose of a mouthwash is 40 times more (20 grams) than that of a nurdle of toothpaste (500 mg). Thus, there will be far more water mixed with the formulation unless the mouthwash is provided in powdered or tablet form, in which case water can be added later.

[0094] A toothpaste can be kept in an opaque tube to prevent oxidation and the toothpaste itself is typically opaque and insulative, protecting bioactives within the paste so long as the paste has properties that do not degrade the bioactives and/or the bioactives are encapsulated to protect them from chemically reacting with the paste. Mouthwashes are frequently sold in transparent containers, which may be more appealing to a consumer. This makes microencapsulation even more important in mouthwash than in toothpaste due to the risk of photooxidation. Bottles of mouthwash are also more prone to expose contents to air than tubes of toothpaste, further increasing oxidation risk through contact with air.

[0095] As with the edible toothpaste described above, a first portion of the CBD is formulated for buccal delivery and a second portion of the CBD is formulated for enteric delivery. In this specific implementation, 20 mg of the CBD is microencapsulated for buccal delivery to act as a localized analgesic in the mouth. CBD is degraded in the stomach but, as was discussed above, CBD is readily absorbed in mucosa. Although it is recognized not all patients will follow best practices, bioavailability estimates assume the amount of time mouthwash is kept in the mouth is 30 seconds to one minute, which is long enough to make almost all of CBD formulated for buccal delivery bioavailable. Accordingly, when the product is used as directed, the CBD remains in the mouth long enough to achieve over 90% bioavailability. Thus, the amount of buccally delivered CBD can be added to that of enterically delivered CBD to determine a total systemic dose.

[0096] The technique for buccal delivery for a mouthwash may be different from that of a mouthwash. Specifically, calcium carbonate may not dissolve adequately to release contents coated therewith. To address this issue, the buccal coating can be temperature sensitive. For example, shea butter, cocoa butter, or hemp seed oil could be used to coat CBD and, when the mouthwash approaches body temperature, the butter melts, releasing the CBD. For additional photooxidation protection, zinc oxide (which is on the GRAS list) or some other material that reflects or absorbs harmful electromagnetic frequencies can be mixed into the butter to provide broad spectrum light absorbance. In this specific implementation, the particles are 50 microns or smaller. [0097] A portion of the CBD and the caffeine and theanine are formulated for enteric delivery as described above with reference to the edible toothpaste. The peppermint oil and clove essential oil are formulated for buccal delivery as described above.

[0098] The specific implementation is fluoridated to be valuable immediately after brushing. Although it is best practices to wait 30 minutes or even as much as 2 hours after brushing before rinsing with anything, many people do not follow these best practices. In an alternative, fluoride concentration is reduced to that of drinking water (0.7 mg/L) and instructions to wait 30 minutes to 2 hours after brushing (and to not rinse with water after brushing) can be omitted.

[0099] In a specific implementation, an example of a drinkable mouthwash is an antiseptic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal suspension that acts as a saliva substitute to neutralize acid and keep the mouth moist in xerostomia (dry mouth); the drinkable mouthwash also controls bad breath by leaving the mouth with a pleasant taste. In a specific implementation, erythritol is used instead of alcohol at least in part because it does not dry the mouth and in part because it prevents tooth decay.

[00100] Magic mouthwashes are used prior to and after oral surgery procedures such as tooth extraction or to treat the pain associated with mucositis caused by radiation therapy or chemotherapy. They are also prescribed for aphthous ulcers, other oral ulcers, and other mouth pain. Magic mouthwashes are prescription mouthwashes compounded in a pharmacy from a list of ingredients specified by a doctor. Despite a lack of evidence that prescription mouthwashes are more effective in decreasing the pain of oral lesions, many patients and prescribers continue to use them. There has been only one controlled study to evaluate the efficacy of magic mouthwash; it shows no difference in efficacy among the most common formulation and commercial mouthwashes such as chlorhexidine or a saline/baking soda solution. Current guidelines suggest that saline solution is just as effective as magic mouthwash in pain relief or shortening of healing time of oral mucositis from cancer therapies. Moreover, mouthwashes that are spit out can be harmful to the environment. For example, antibiotics spit into a drain can make bacteria more resistant through natural selection.

[00101] Saline and baking soda mouthwashes are generally not swallowed and adding salt or sodium bicarbonate to a drinkable mouthwash in the concentrations necessary to achieve the effects of saline and baking soda mouthwash or mouth bath is challenging. However, a drinkable magic mouthwash that is used after a saline mouthwash or mouth bath can enhance oral hygiene and pain control. A drinkable magic mouthwash that is used as a mouth bath before a saline mouthwash can be used for its pain management properties to ameliorate some of the discomfort of a saline mouthwash.

[00102] A specific implementation can be characterized as a nighttime mouthwash formulation with:

[00103] lOO mg CBD

[00104] 200 mg theanine

[00105] 2 mg pyridoxine tripalmitate

[00106] 200 mg (1%) peppermint oil

[00107] 10 mg (0.05%) clove essential oil

[00108] 300 mg (3%) potassium nitrate

[00109] 10 mg (0.05%) fluoride

[00110] 2 g (10%) erythritol

[00111] 40 mg (1%) sodium laurel sulfate (SLS)

[00112] A portion of the CBD and the theanine are formulated for enteric delivery as described above with reference to the edible toothpaste. In other respects, the components are used for purposes like those described above with reference to an edible nighttime toothpaste formulation.

[00113] For most food and drink, whether the product is presented in a clear bottle or a can, is presented in a salt shaker that has an opening at the top that exposes the product to oxygen, is an additive to a food item that is going to be cooked before it is served, or is subjected to other oxidation risks is more likely than would be experienced by a toothpaste or a mouthwash. Drinkable mouthwashes, which can be sold like breath strips or breath mints, may be even more prone to packaging that is appealing to a consumer market but is less protective of bioactives susceptible to oxidation.

[00114] Interactions between contents of a food or beverage, including carbonari on, flavoring, packaging, serving temperature, and the like can impact bioactives in the food or beverage. Infusing a liquid with nitrogen instead of carbon dioxide, while more expensive, can avoid increasing acidity, as is the case with carbonation. Microencapsulation with IR opaque materials (insulation) can limit degradation from temperature. To the extent a drink is provided in a transparent or translucent container, coloring the microencapsulation material can retard photooxidation. UV opaque encapsulants can also be used, as can reflective materials, potentially with aesthetically desirable effects like sparkling in addition to the functional effect of reflecting light to retard photooxidation. Thus, advantageously, microencapsulation can be used to retard oxidation prior to consumption throughout the supply chain, from manufacturing to storage and finally to consumption.

[00115] Microencapsulation is frequently imperfect, particularly when the particles approach 1 micron in diameter, making it desirable to include pigments that can protect components that are imperfectly coated. Colors in fluid in which the bioactive is free floating can protect against photooxidation if the color absorbs or reflects in the relevant frequency bands. Such coloration can also be added to encapsulants. For CBD, the encapsulant should absorb or reflect light in the frequency ranges of violet visible light (specifically in the case of CBD, 375-420 nm) and red visible light (specifically in the case of CBD, 650-740 nm). It is advantageous to absorb light of other frequencies for other bioactives.

[00116] Some foods have been shown to have beneficial effect at specific locations within the human body. For example, water-soluble peptide extracts, bacterial peptides released from dairy products like yogurt, have antimicrobial properties and have been shown to inhibit proliferation of, e.g., HT29 human colon cancer cells. Cranberry juice has been argued to be effective against urinary tract infections but in a 2015 study cranberry capsules lowered the risk of UTIs by 50% in women who had catheters in place while undergoing gynecological surgery, with implications related to delayed release, high bioactive concentration, and the like. By microencapsulating the foods that are best made bioavailable via enteric delivery, degradation in the stomach can be avoided.

[00117] An example of a waxed dental floss or dental tape will now be discussed. The specific implementation described can be characterized as a morning formulation with:

[00118] 8 mg CBD

[00119] 8 mg caffeine

[00120] 16 mg theanine

[00121] 1 mg (2%) peppermint oil

[00122] 0.1 mg (0.2%) clove essential oil

[00123] 1 mg (2%) fluoride

[00124] 5 mg (10%) erythritol [00125] 0.5 mg (1%) menthol [00126] 10 mg (20%) beeswax

[00127] Dental tape is a thicker form of floss. It allows for greater capacity per unit length. Although a delivery of up to 12x the indicated dose is desirable, patients may find 120 mg beeswax coating the mouth over the course of a 2-minute flossing regimen to be unpalatable. With a heavily laden dental tape, patients may need to be retrained to insert the floss for 1 minute and only thread the floss between teeth toward the end of the flossing regimen to avoid scraping a large mass of beeswax at one location. Moreover, it may be desirable to increase the ratio of erythritol to increase sweetness or add a flavoring, such as honey, though that can crowd out desirable bioactives. Assuming the aesthetics of putting beeswax in one’s mouth can be overcome, increasing the components by a factor of 6 results in a “weak coffee” formulation.

[00128] A firm salve is about 4 parts oil to 1 part beeswax, which is appropriate for a waxed dental floss formulation. The ingredients can also be highly concentrated because the wax will not have as much water as a toothpaste, as described previously. However, the mass of bioactives that can be delivered in this fashion is relatively low. Floss is commonly supplied in plastic dispensers that contain 10 to 100 meters of floss. After pulling out approximately 40 cm of floss, a patient pulls it against a blade in the dispenser to cut it off. The patient then strings the piece of floss on a fork-like instrument or holds it between their fingers using both hands with about 1-2 cm of floss exposed. The patient guides the floss back and forth between adjacent teeth and under the gumline. This removes particles of food stuck between teeth and dental plaque that adhere to dental surfaces below the gumline. Advantageously, this standard technique also serves to deposit bioactive infused wax in the oral cavity.

[00129] The implementation described here is intended to retain floss use expectations, though usage instructions could be adjusted if more than usual amounts of beeswax are used to deliver more bioactives than could be delivered within an industry-standard thickness of wax. It may be worth explicitly stating patients should use a different 1-2 cm portion of the floss between different adjacent teeth to encourage deposition of wax from the entire strand of floss. An adult can have as many as 32 teeth, though many adults have only 28 because wisdom teeth are surgically removed to avoid displacing other teeth. That accounts for 30 applications of floss between teeth, including along the back of the second molar (assuming the third molar was removed surgically). Ideally, this results in the delivery of about 40 mg of bioactives (or about 50 mg of bioactive- infused beeswax). [00130] Beeswax serves as a stabilizer, sealant, and lubricant. Assuming 2 minutes of flossing using the recommended regimen, the beeswax is deposited at the tooth-gum interface with some proportion of the wax coating other areas of the oral cavity. The beeswax is part of a system providing buccal delivery of bioactives suspended in the beeswax as you use the floss and a sustained buccal release of bioactives suspended in the beeswax for up to about 20 minutes as the beeswax deposited at the tooth-gum interface and coating other areas of the oral cavity is passively melted by body heat and swallowed. In an alternative, the beeswax is replaced with some other wax or substance that functions as a stabilizer, sealant, and lubricant.

[00131] In this specific implementation, the CBD is encapsulated by the beeswax, reducing the risk of degradation by oxidation, but the CBD is not enterically coated. The beeswax-based delivery mechanism can be expected to buccally deliver more than about 45% of suspended bioactives. As such, given some of the CBD will be degraded in the stomach, it is expected less about 75% of the CBD, some of which fails to migrate out of the beeswax for absorption through the buccal mucosa, will be bioavailable tractus digestorius. Although enterically coated CBD is more bioavailable, the amount of CBD necessary for systemic pharmacological effect will be difficult to obtain with a waxed floss, but less than 10 mg CBD localized to the oral cavity can have a pharmacological effect.

[00132] Caffeine is readily absorbed through the buccal mucosa. There is evidence mouth rinsing with caffeine may activate sensors in the oral cavity with direct connections to the brain that could have an ergogenic effect. Retaining a caffeinated wax in the mouth for a timespan, as would be expected from the wax -based delivery mechanism of the floss in this specific implementation, should have a secondary effect of stimulating nerves in this manner. Buccally delivered caffeine equivalent to a “decaffeinated cup of coffee” is 5 mg. The remainder, 3 mg in this specific implementation, is encapsulated for enteric delivery. Partial enteric delivery of caffeine provides the oral sensor activation effect from the buccally delivered portion and a sustained release of a very low dose of caffeine from the enterically delivered portion. To maintain a desirable ratio of 1:2, 10 mg of theanine is buccally delivered and the remainder, 6 mg in this specific implementation, is encapsulated for enteric delivery.

[00133] Peppermint oil, clove essential oil, fluoride, and erythritol are intended to be buccally delivered. Dental professionals recommend a person floss once per day before or after brushing to reach the areas that the brush will not and allow fluoride from the toothpaste to reach between the teeth. Advantageously, fluoride suspended in the beeswax has a high probability of reaching between the teeth. [00134] Menthol acts as an analgesic and penetration enhancer, which is desirable to maximize buccal delivery of CBD, particularly given the relatively small amount that can be delivered in a waxed floss format.

[00135] In an alternative, a floss fabric is soaked with bioactives and covered with a beeswax coating. It should be noted there is a risk of “leakage” if the beeswax coating is brittle. The risk can be somewhat ameliorated by having a higher oil content on the outer layer, but a new type of dispenser would be advantageous.

[00136] FIG. 2 is a diagram 200 of an example of a controlled toothpaste dosage and coated floss dispenser. The diagram 200 includes a toothpaste dispenser 202, a bracket 204, a toothpaste tube 206, and a toothbrush 210. The toothpaste dispenser 202 includes a toothpaste dispenser enclosure 212 operationally connected to the bracket 204; a toothpaste tube collar 214 operationally connected to the toothpaste tube 206; a dispensing lever 218 operationally connected to the toothpaste dispenser enclosure 212; a dispensing outlet 220 operationally connected to the toothpaste dispenser enclosure 212; a compounding chamber 222 adjoining the toothpaste tube collar 214 and the dispensing outlet 220; a pressure pump 224; a check valve 226 operationally connected to the pressure pump 226 and the toothpaste dispenser enclosure 212; a lever linkage engine 228 coupling the dispensing lever 222 to the dispensing outlet 220 and the dispensing lever 222 to the check valve 226; and a pressure release valve 230 operationally connected to the toothpaste dispenser enclosure 212.

[00137] The components 202-230 are like the components 102-130 of FIG. 1, though the components 108 and 116 do not have corresponding components 208 and 216. In an alternative, the controlled toothpaste dosage and coated floss dispenser includes an enhancement capsule 208 and enhancement capsule collar 216.

[00138] The diagram 200 further includes a spool of floss 234, a salve capsule 236, a salve collar 238 to which the salve capsule is attached, a floss salving chamber 240 to which the salve collar 238 is attached, a strand of floss 242 that passes through the floss salving chamber 240 from within the toothpaste dispenser enclosure to the outside, and a floss-cutting blade 244 located at the egress of the floss salving chamber 240.

[00139] In an expected example of operation, an agent of a patient removes a panel (not shown) from the toothpaste dispenser enclosure 212 to install the spool of floss 234 onto a spindle (the spindle being represented in FIG. 2 as a black circle in the center of the spool of floss 234) and the salve capsule 238 to the salve collar 238. The floss salving chamber 240 includes salve from the salve capsule 236 through the salve collar 238. The strand of floss 242 is threaded through the floss salving chamber 240 and exposed to the outside near the floss-cutting blade 244. In an alternative, the spool of floss 234 is attached to an outer portion of the toothpaste dispenser 202 and threaded through the floss salving chamber 240 from an external gate.

[00140] In a specific implementation, a very soft salve, which is defined as a salve with a 7: 1 to 9:1 oil to beeswax ratio is used for the salve is used. Advantageously, more bioactives can be infused into a salved floss than in the specific implementation for a waxed floss, increasing the amount of bioactives by about 100% with an 8:1 very soft salve while retaining similar ratios of peppermint oil, clove essential oil, fluoride, erythritol, and menthol (or by about 50% with a 6:1 ratio soft salve). In an alternative, the proportion of erythritol is increased to make the formulation sweeter and other flavorings can be added, as well. A strand of floss treated in this manner can be referred to as a “salved” floss in this paper to distinguish it from a waxed floss.

[00141] In an alternative, a soft salve with a 5:1 to 7:1 ratio of oil to beeswax is used. Such a salve may work fine without a heating element, though a hard salve (3 : 1 to 5 : 1 ratio) would likely benefit from the use of a heating element to soften the salve during the floss salving process. In an alternative, an extremely soft salve with over 9:1 (e.g., 12:1) oil to beeswax ratio is used for the salve, which increases the bioactives by about quadruple at 12:1, but the liquidity of the salve and the risk of droplets of salve falling off (and making a mess) when the salved floss is cut is rather high, making its commercial viability questionable unless the problem can be resolved.

[00142] In a specific implementation, the strand of floss 242 is threaded through the floss salving chamber 240 by pressing the strand of floss 242 through a one-way slot (represented in FIG. 2 as a horizontal dashed line through the center of the floss salving chamber 240) such that the strand of floss 242 extends through the floss salving chamber 240 from within the toothpaste dispenser enclosure 212 to the outside where it can be grasped by a patient. In alternatives, a mechanical crank can be used to pull the strand of floss through the floss salving chamber until it is exposed, an electromechanical device could accomplish the same thing with an electric motor, agents could use their fingers to thread the strand of floss through the floss salving chamber, or some other device could enable accomplishment of the goal of having the strand of floss extend through the floss salving chamber to where it can be grasped by a patient.

[00143] In an expected example of operation, a patient grasps the strand of floss 242 near the floss-cutting blade 244, pulls the strand of floss 242 through the floss salving chamber 240, salving the strand of floss 242 as it is pulled through the floss salving chamber 240, until a desired length of salved floss is exposed (e.g., 40 cm). The patient then cuts the salved strand of floss with the floss-cutting blade 244 and uses the salved strand of floss as part of a teeth flossing regimen. [00144] An example of another waxed floss will now be discussed. The specific implementation described can be characterized as a nighttime waxed floss formulation with:

[00145] lO mg CBD

[00146] 2 mg pyridoxine tripalmitate

[00147] 20 mg theanine

[00148] 1 mg (2%) peppermint oil

[00149] 0.1 mg (0.2%) clove essential oil

[00150] 2 mg (4%) potassium nitrate

[00151] 1 mg (2%) fluoride

[00152] 5 mg (10%) erythritol

[00153] 0.5 mg (1%) menthol

[00154] 10 mg (20%) beeswax

[00155] The CBD acts as a mild stimulant at this dosage but it should not be so dramatic as to make sleep difficult. In a very soft salve formulation, with 6:1 oil to beeswax ratio, the dosage of CBD could be increased to above 50 mg, which is above the amount that causes the CBD to act as a mild stimulant, but it would likely crowd out other bioactive components, such as theanine.

Claims

1. A composition of matter, wherein a nurdle of the composition of matter comprises:

20 mg CBD microencapsulated for buccal delivery; up to 80 mg CBD microencapsulated for enteric delivery;

20 to 100 mg caffeine microencapsulated for enteric delivery;

40 to 200 mg theanine microencapsulated for enteric delivery;

0.02% to 2.5% essential oil microencapsulated for buccal delivery;

0.0001% to 1% fluoride.

2. The composition of matter of claim 1, wherein no CBD is microencapsulated for enteric delivery.

3. The composition of matter of claim 1, wherein at least 1 mg CBD but no more than 30 mg CBD is microencapsulated for enteric delivery.

4. The composition of matter of claim 1, wherein at least 30 mg CBD is microencapsulated for enteric delivery.

5. The composition of matter of claim 1, wherein the caffeine-to-theanine ratio is 1 :2.

6. The composition of matter of claim 1, wherein the essential oil microencapsulated for buccal delivery includes 0.00001% to 0.15% clove essential oil and at least 0.02% peppermint essential oil.

7. The composition of matter of claim 1, wherein the essential oil microencapsulated for buccal delivery includes no more than 2.4% peppermint essential oil.

8. The composition of matter of claim 1, comprising an additive selected from a group consisting of achillea species, basil, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, fennel, galangal, garlic, ginger, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and a combination of these.

9. The composition of matter of claim 1, wherein the essential oil microencapsulated for buccal delivery includes at least one essential oil from a plant selected from a group consisting of cloves, cinnamon, cinnamomum tamala, nutmeg, sweet basil, African basil, holy basil, Japanese star anise, lemon balm, a plant that includes eugenol, and a combination of these.

10. The composition of matter of claim 1, comprising 5% to 60% sugar alcohol, wherein the sugar alcohol is selected from the group consisting of erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, or a combination of these.

11. The composition of matter of claim 1, comprising 1% to 2% sodium laurel sulfate (SLS).

12. The composition of matter of claim 1, comprising 10% to 30% additive selected from the group consisting of carrageenan, gelatin, xanthan gum, cellulose, and glycerin.

13. The composition of matter of claim 1, comprising an antibacterial microencapsulated for buccal delivery, the antibacterial selected from a group consisting of metronidazole, penicillin, amoxicillin, and a combination of these.

14. The composition of matter of claim 1, comprising potassium nitrate microencapsulated for buccal delivery.

15. The composition of matter of claim 1, wherein the microencapsulation for buccal delivery includes a material selected from a group consisting of calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, a calcium hydrogen phosphate, and a combination of these.

16. A composition of matter, wherein a nurdle of the composition of matter comprises:

0.025 mg to 20 mg endocannabinoid or endocannabinoid mimetic microencapsulated for buccal delivery; up to 80 mg endocannabinoid or endocannabinoid mimetic microencapsulated for enteric delivery;

40 to 280 mg theanine or theanine-equivalent microencapsulated for enteric delivery.

17. The composition of matter of claim 16, wherein no more than 0.1 mg endocannabinoid or endocannabinoid mimetic is microencapsulated for enteric delivery and wherein the endocannabinoid or endocannabinoid mimetic microencapsulated for enteric delivery is selected from a group consisting of 2-Lineoleoyl-glycerol, 2-Palmitolyl-glycerol, 18- Hydroxypalmitic acid, AM404, guineesine, and a combination of these.

18. The composition of matter of claim 16, wherein the theanine or theanine-equivalent is selected from a group consisting of theanine, perrottetinene, THC, procaine, and a combination of these.

19. The composition of matter of claim 16, comprising 20 to 140 mg caffeine microencapsulated for enteric delivery.

20. The composition of matter of claim 16, comprising an additive microencapsulated for buccal delivery, the additive selected from a group consisting of menthol, methyl salicylate, camphor, and a combination of these.