Solving Chronic Dry Mouth
About Dry Mouth
Scope and Causes
Dry mouth affects 20% of the population, which is 64 million people in the United States. It is a side effect of many common prescription drugs, of radiation therapy and of autoimmune diseases such as Sjögren's syndrome.
Effects
Dry mouth leads to many significant and debilitating results including rapid tooth decay and fungal infections, difficulty eating (including lack of taste), discomfort and difficulty speaking, disrupted sleep, and diminished quality of life.
Limited Treatment Options
The Mayo Clinic recommends various strategies for managing dry mouth, including: sipping water, limiting caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol, chewing gum or sucking on candies, using saliva substitutes, breathing through your nose, or using a humidifier.
The Unfortunate Reality
These recommended treatment options are all temporary strategies with marginal impact. According to The Cochrane Oral Health Group Study “There is no strong evidence from this review that any topical therapy is effective for relieving the symptom of dry mouth"
Our Solution
OFD is developing a revolutionary dental implant that functions as an artificial salivary gland, providing continuous relief. The device taps the self-replenishing fluid from within the jaw bone. It filters the fluid to remove cellular material and transfers it into the mouth as substitute saliva.
Development Status
Proof-of-Concept Animal Testing
A rabbit model was used to verify that fluid could be continuously extracted from a mandibular implant.
Grant Funding
An award from the National Institutes of Health has accelerated development
Functional Device Bench Testing
Scale prototypes have been fabricated, features are undergoing design iteration and tests are ongoing to characterize key performance measures.
Market Opportunity
The American Academy of Implant dentistry estimated that over 69% of Americans between the ages of 35 and 44 have at least one missing tooth, and a large percentage of them suffer from chronic dry mouth. These are ideal candidates for OFD’s device.
BRANDING
The global dental implant market was valued at 3.8 billion in 2016 and growing at a compound annual growth rate of 7.7%. This presents a tremendous market opportunity for OFD’s device, which is a substitute for many traditional dental implants.
Of 200,000 dentists in the U.S., approximately 16,000 are specialists actively involved in implant dentistry. They place more than 3 million implants each year.
Commercialization
Value Proposition
This product offers revolutionary treatment for dry mouth patients. No other product or treatment is permanent, invisible and requires no action of the patient to use. After initial installation, annual costs are consistent with current patient expenditures.
Market Introduction
Initial marketing and sales efforts will focus on dentists with surgical and prosthodontic specialty training. Broader promotion will follow through established dental product distribution channels, likely with a strategic industry partner.
Product Revenues
The device generates significant recurring revenues from sale of the internal pumping components which are replaced annually. This recurring revenue is anticipated to far exceed revenues from the sale of the initial implant.
