How 'glue' protects mouth ulcers with 'firm shield' to improve healing

Liquid while in a tube, iglu gel hardens when applied to a mouth ulcer

Called iglu gel, it puts a protective cap around the ulcer that sticks even after eating and drinking.

Clinical trials have proved that it cuts healing time by one-and-a-half days because the "glue" which makes the gel stick to the ulcer allows pain-relieving and antiseptic ingredients to work more effectively.

Mouth ulcers can be triggered by accidentally biting the inside of the mouth, scalding by hot food and drink or rubbing with a rough toothbrush.

Some sufferers repeatedly get ulcers when stressed, tired or from viral infections.

The main criticism of existing pharmacy products are they tend to quickly rub off the ulcer and disappear during drinking and eating.

The iglu gel, developed by Diomed Developments, remains liquid while in the tube but changes into a firm protective shield when applied to the skin inside the mouth.

This allows the active ingredients lidocaine hydrochloride, a local anaesthetic, and the antiseptic aminoacridine hydrochloride to reduce pain and resist bacterial infection.

GP Dr Paul Stillman, who specialises in skin problems, said the pain from mouth ulcers comes from exposure of nerve endings when the surface of the skin is removed, but there are no prescription medicines available.

He said: "Patients ask me for help because for something so small, mouth ulcers can make people very miserable.

"But they are hard to treat because, being inside the mouth, available treatments tend to get rubbed or worn off.

"The clinical trial results show igl¸ is a breakthrough as it really sticks to the ulcer and protects it. It also withstands eating and drinking, which is an added bonus."

In a clinical trial the healing time for those using iglu gel was shortened compared with another ulcer product, down from 5.5 days to four days.

Altogether 50 volunteers took part in trials comparing igl¸ gel with an existing gel product.

They included testing the adhesion of the gel when volunteers were drinking a glass of orange juice and eating a slice of bread.

In all cases, the gel remained in place and for most people it did not need to be reappliedfor up to two hours.

In total, 85 per cent of users rated the new treatment as more effective than their previous treatment.

Dr Philip Rosher, the company's head of regulatory and clinical affairs, said: "Normally the new layer of skin cells is being constantly rubbed off, disrupted or irritated by foodstuffs.

"The gel changes when it comes into contact with moisture contained in the mucosal membrane, the skin inside the mouth, so that it sucks up water like a sponge.

"The moisture makes it swell into a robust protective shield around the ulcer. It's like a sticking plaster inside the mouth, it's sophisticated and took a long time to develop."

Dr Rosher said possible side effects were rare cases of hypersensitivity to any of the ingredients. The treatment costs £5.99 and is available only from pharmacies.