Abstract The oral cavity is an attractive site for the delivery of drugs owing to the ease with which it can be administered. It is now possible to administer drug through mucosal (local effect) and transmucosal (systemic effect) route. In the first case, the aim is to achieve a site-specific release of the drug on the mucosa, whereas the second case involves drug absorption through the mucosal barrier to reach the systemic circulation. The main barrier to this route is limited absorption through buccal route. Various strategies exist and are studied to overcome the obstacles and nowadays use of new materials have increased that, possibly, combine mucoadhesive, enzyme inhibitory and penetration enhancer properties to enhance the desired delivery of drugs. Many designs on innovative drug delivery systems are achieved which, besides improving patient compliance, favor a more intimate contact of the drug with the absorption mucosa. This review throws light on advantages and limitations of buccal drug delivery with the brief anatomical structure of oral mucosa, and explains various available buccal dosage forms, in particularly explaining the development of buccal films with their detailed possible in vitro characterization methodology for films.
Keywords buccal, film, mucoadhesive, dosage forms.