Principal investigator: Scott Medina
University: Pennsylvania State University
Industry partners: Baby's Breath
GUMS-N-BRUSH, developed by Baby’s Breath, is a double-sided toothbrush designed to maintain oral hygiene and reduce oral infections in infants. To support its market adoption, our team has begun development of an all-natural, fluoride-free oral gel that is incorporated into the toothbrush for direct twist button application. The proprietary toothpaste is designed to be non-toxic, protective of enamel structure, and inhibit the growth of fungal pathogens that cause thrush, an oral cavity infection that can lead to significant health complications in infants (ref. 1,2). Preliminary studies have established and validated a lead oral gel formulation through laboratory testing at Penn State University. This proposal will optimize the efficacy of the current pediatric gel formulation against oral thrush pathogens (objective 1), test its safety in human cellular models, while additionally demonstrating compatibility with tooth enamel surfaces (objective 2), and develop manufacturing techniques to enable pilot scale-up and production of the oral gel (objective 3).