It is recommended that children should brush their teeth for at least 45-60 seconds, and adults for at least 90 to 120 seconds. Most people, especially children, do not brush their teeth for a sufficient period of time to obtain maximum benefit, and moreover have difficulty accurately estimating the time necessary to brush the teeth.
Toothpastes comprising films, which deliver a color change signal after brushing for appropriate period of time, and optionally deliver an active ingredient during the brushing period have been described in the art, most notably in PCT/US2011/065308 (Colgate-Palmolive Company). These toothpastes encourage users to brush their teeth for a longer period of time.
However, a problem associated with the use of such toothpastes is the staining of surfaces when the toothpaste is disposed of (e.g. toothpastes which has been expectorated (spit out) into a sink). The staining is caused by the dissolution of any undissolved film left in the toothpaste as it is being disposed.
Therefore, there is still a need in the art for toothpastes comprising films which deliver a color change signal after brushing, but minimizes or eliminates the staining of surfaces when the toothpaste is disposed of.
Surprisingly, it has been found that surface staining can be minimized or eliminated by providing an oral care composition comprising a first film comprising a pigment; and optionally a second film; wherein the first film has a dissolution rate in aqueous media that is inversely proportional to its thickness, wherein the first film is in the form of a particle.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
Some embodiments of the present invention provide a dissolvable film (Film 1) comprising a cellulose ether, a plasticizer, a non-ionic surfactant and a pigment, wherein the film is in the form of a particle.
For the purposes of the invention, the term particle refers to smaller sizes or fragments of the film, e.g. the film is cut or ground into smaller sizes or fragments.
Various embodiments of the film include, but are not limited to:
The films of the invention are able to achieve sufficient release of the pigment in the oral cavity, but are surprisingly removed quickly when the film is disposed of onto a surface area and rinsed away.
The invention also provides a product (Product 1) which comprises a dissolvable film (Film 1) comprising a cellulose ether, a plasticizer, a non-ionic surfactant and a pigment, wherein the film is in the form of a particle as described above.
The invention provides, in another embodiment, a method of improving post-use disposal of an oral care composition containing a pigment to be released during use which comprises adding a film as described above during the process of making the oral care composition wherein post-use disposal of the oral care composition does not stain the surface of the disposal area.
In another embodiment of the method, the process of making the oral care composition further comprises adding an anionic surfactant in an amount from 1.5 wt. % to 5.0 wt. %. and 1.5 wt. % to 2.0 wt. %. In another embodiment of this aspect of the invention, the anionic surfactant is sodium lauryl sulfate.
In some embodiments, substantially all of the pigment is released at one time. As used herein, the term “substantially all” refers to greater than 90% of the total amount of pigment contained in the film. In some embodiments, the first film releases at least 90% of the total amount of pigment contained therein, at a particular point in time. In some embodiments, the first film releases greater than 90% of the total amount of pigment contained therein, at a designated point in time. In some embodiments, the first film releases at least 91% of the total amount of pigment contained therein, at the designated point in time. In some embodiments, the first film releases at least 95% of the total amount of pigment contained therein, at the designated point in time. In some embodiments, the first film releases at least 96% of the total amount of pigment contained therein, at the designated point in time. In some embodiments, the first film releases at least 97% of the total amount of pigment contained therein, at the designated point in time. In some embodiments, the first film releases at least 98% of the total amount of pigment contained therein, at the designated point in time. In some embodiments, the first film releases at least 99% of the total amount of pigment contained therein, at the designated point in time.
Orally acceptable or topically acceptable: The compositions of the invention are intended for topical use in the mouth or on the skin, thus components for use in the present invention should be orally acceptable, that is, safe for topical use in the mouth, in the amounts and concentrations provided.
As used throughout, ranges are used as shorthand for describing each and every value that is within the range. Any value within the range can be selected as the terminus of the range. In addition, all references cited herein are hereby incorporated by referenced in their entireties. In the event of a conflict in a definition in the present disclosure and that of a cited reference, the present disclosure controls.
Unless otherwise specified, all percentages and amounts expressed herein and elsewhere in the specification should be understood to refer to percentages by weight. The amounts given are based on the active weight of the material.
Embodiments of the present invention are further described in the following examples. The examples are merely illustrative and do not in any way limit the scope of the invention as described and claimed.
The films of the invention can be prepared as follows. Approximately fifty percent of the required film formula water is weighed out and heated as necessary depending on the polymer type. Polymers (HPMC, MC, etc) are slowly added to the water under mixing conditions and the polymers are allowed to disperse and hydrate for 10-15 minutes. Additional water up to the full amount is added until the slurry has the consistency of honey. Plasticizers and surfactants should then be added while mixing and allowed to mix for 5 minutes. Other particles such as dyes, pigments, etc. should then be added to the mixture and allowed to mix for 10 additional minutes. The slurry should then be de-aerated. Films can then be cast and dried from the slurry to the desired thickness typically 1-10 mils.
These procedures resulted in 30-50 mesh film particles which comprised of:
The film particles from Example 1 were incorporated into a liquid toothpaste which is described below in Table 2
10-50 g of liquid toothpaste from Example 2 are placed into a scintillation vial. A sufficient quantity of film particles described in Example 1 is added to the liquid toothpaste and visually evaluated (typically 0.2% or less). The liquid toothpaste and film is shaken vigorously by hand for 15 seconds and placed on a benchtop. The initial distribution and quantity on bottom of vial is noted before starting the timer. The liquid toothpaste and film is visually inspected and the percentage of film deprecating over time is recorded. At completion, the contents of the scintillation vial is emptied into a sink. The scintillation vial is place under the tap and water is permitted to flow for 10 seconds from the tap. The scintillation vial is drained and and then inverted. The difference in the amount of film residue left behind is recorded.
The amount of film settling was compared for a toothpaste of the invention which has a ground film particles of 30-50 mesh with a comparative toothpaste with film of 1.6 mm (approx. 12 mesh) thick squares (toothpaste of PCT/US2011/065308). As can be seen from the data in Table 3 below, the amount of film setting after 10 minutes was drastically reduced.
The film particles described in Example 1 were incorporated into a toothpaste composition with the formula described in Table 4 below.
One of the embodiments of the invention was the further addition of an anionic surfactant to the film particle composition.
As those skilled in the art will appreciate, numerous changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is intended that all such variations fall within the scope of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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3736/DEL/2013 | Dec 2013 | IN | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US2014/069471 | 12/10/2014 | WO | 00 |