Influence of the buccal application site of a bioadhesive slow-release tablet on salivary miconazole concentrations in irradiated patients

Cancer patients, irradiated in the neck region, often develop oral candidosis and a substantial decrease in salivary flow after irradiation. As the use of a bioadhesive buccal tablet containing miconazole nitrate has been shown to be effective in the treatment of oral candidosis, the influence of the application site on the buccal levels of miconazole nitrate was studied. The t(max), the adhesion time and T->MIC were significantly higher (P < 0.05) when the gingiva was chosen as the application site in comparison with the cheek. The C-max, t(max) and AUC were not significantly different. The gingiva is the application site of choice in irradiated patients even with a decreased salivary flow.