the term “ adhesive properties ” is used herein to refer to the property of any substance , inorganic , organic , natural or synthetic , that is capable of bonding other substances together by surface attachment . in the instant situation , this refers to the ability of a denture adhesive product to hold together the surfaces of a denture and mucosal tissue . the term “ cohesive properties ” is used herein to refer to the property of a material to stick together within itself . in our case , this refers to the ability of a denture adhesive product to maintain its integrity during its application . while one of skill in the art would understand that both hpmc and polyox have adhesive and cohesive features , in the context of this invention , hpmc is suitably the adhesive polymer component and polyox is suitably the cohesive polymer component of one embodiment of this invention . the term “ dental appliance ” is used herein to refer to dentures or partial dentures , artificial teeth , removable orthodontic bridges and denture plates , both upper and lower types , orthodontic retainers and appliances , protective mouthguards , nightguards to prevent bruxism and / or temporomandibular joint ( tmj ) disorder , and the like the term “ hydrophilic polymers ” is used herein to refer to those polymers that have certain affinities to water molecules or those polymers that can attract water molecules . the term “ water - soluble polymers ” is used herein to refer to those polymers that can be dissolved in water completely thereby forming a homogeneous mixture with water . the terms “ polyethylene oxide ” and “ ethylene oxide polymer ” are used herein interchangeably . the term “ water - miscible solvent ” is used herein to refer to those solvents or medium that can form a homogeneous mixture with water . the present invention discloses novel denture adhesive compositions containing as the vehicle , water , glycerin , propylene glycol , or a low molecular weight polyethylene glycol , alone or in combination . upon hydration by saliva or during actual use in the oral environment , the inventive material hydrates and becomes tacky and develops adhesiveness between the mucosal tissue and the denture . suitably the denture adhesive vehicle is water , glycerin , propylene glycol , or a low molecular weight polyethylene glycol , alone or in combination . in one embodiment of the invention , the denture adhesive vehicle comprises water alone as the vehicle . in one embodiment of the invention , the composition comprises between 20 and 80 wt . % of water alone as the vehicle . in another embodiment , the composition comprises water and one or more water - miscible solvents . the water - miscible solvent is suitably selected from glycerin , propylene glycol , low molecular weight polyethylene glycol , ethanol , sorbitol and other polyhydroxy compounds . suitably , the molecular weight for the polyethylene glycol solvent ranges between 200 - 800 . in one embodiment of the invention , the composition comprises between 20 and 30 wt . % water and between 35 and 40 wt . % glycerin . in one embodiment of the invention , the composition comprises glycerin alone as a vehicle in an amount between 45 and 65 wt . % of the composition . in one embodiment of the invention , the composition comprises propylene glycol alone as a vehicle in an amount between 50 and 60 wt . % of the composition . the hydrocarbon - free vehicle is suitably in combination with a hydrophilic or water - soluble polymer or polymer combination manufactured to form a paste or gel . the polymeric material used in the composition includes , but is not limited to , certain categories of polymers . a first suitable polymer material is selected from water - soluble or water dispersible cellulose derivatives , such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (“ hpmc ”), carboxymethyl - cellulose (“ cmc ”), hydroxyethylcellulose (“ hec ”), hydroxypropylcellulose (“ hpc ”), hydroxyethylmethylcellulose (“ hemc ”), hydroxyethylmethylcellulose (“ hemc ”), methyl - cellulose (“ mc ”), methylcarboxymethyl cellulose (“ mcmc ”), hydroxyethylcarboxymethyl cellulose (“ hecmc ”), hydroxyethylmethylcarboxy methylcellulose (“ hemcmc ”), sulfoethylcarboxymethyl cellulose (“ secmc ”), hydroxyethylhydroxypropyl cellulose (“ hehpc ”), hydroxyethylethyl cellulose (“ heec ”), hydroxyethylsulfoethyl cellulose (“ hesec ”), or combinations thereof . in one embodiment of the invention , the polymer material is hpmc . a second suitable polymer material is selected from water - soluble or water dispersible polyethylene oxide (“ peo ”) homopolymers or copolymers , such as polyethylene glycol and its derivatives , polyox ® polymers , water - soluble or water dispersible polypropylene oxide homopolymers or copolymers such as poloxamer ®, and pluronic ® polymers . in one embodiment of the invention , the polymer is peo . a third suitable polymer material is selected from water - soluble or water dispersible poly ( methylvinyl ether - co - maleic acid ) and its derivatives , such as gantrez ® acids , gantrez ® salts ( for example , sodium , calcium , magnesium , zinc ), and gantrez ® anhydride . as used herein , the term “ gantrez ® double or triple salts ” refers to the copolymer of methylvinyl ether - co - maleic acid neutralized by two or more sodium , calcium , magnesium and / or zinc ions . in one embodiment , the composition comprises 0 . 5 to 10 wt . % gantrez ® salt polymer . a fourth suitable polymer material is selected from polyacrylic acid or polymethacrylic acid homopolymers and copolymers and their derivatives , such as carbopol ® polymers . a fifth suitable polymer material is selected from water - soluble or water dispersible natural polymers and their derivatives , such as sodium alginate , karaya gum , xanthan gum , locust bean gum , guar gum and its derivatives , pectin and its derivatives , chitosan and its derivatives , and carrageenan and its derivatives . further suitable polymer materials are selected from polyvinylpyrrolidone , copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone and their derivatives , such as plasdone ® and polyplasdone ® or polyvinylalcohol and its derivatives , such as kollicoat ® polymers , or combination thereof . in one embodiment , the composition comprises 5 to 20 wt . % plasdone ® polymer . in one embodiment of this invention , the polymer is a polymer combination of hpmc and peo . in a second embodiment of the invention , the polymer is a polymer combination of hpmc , peo and a poly ( methylvinyl ether - co - maleic acid ) copolymer . in another embodiment of the invention , the polymer is a polymer combination of hpmc , peo , polyvinylalcohol and polyvinylpyrrolidone . the above components are used in safe and adhesively effective amounts , which herein means an amount sufficient to provide adherence to the oral cavity . in one embodiment of a denture adhesive cream formulation , the composition comprises from about 50 to 80 wt . % water , 8 to 20 wt . % hpmc and 5 to 20 wt . % polyethylene oxide polymer . in one embodiment of a denture adhesive liner formulation , the composition comprises 8 to 50 wt . % hpmc polymer and 5 to 30 wt . % polyethylene oxide polymer . suitably , in one embodiment of the invention , when the denture adhesive vehicle is glycerin alone , the ratio of hpmc to peo is between 1 : 1 to 10 : 1 in glycerin system . in addition to the ingredients indicated above , the instant composition may optionally contain other components to aid in enhancing the adhesive nature of the base components , including those commonly known and used in the adhesive art . examples include , but are not limited to dicalcium phosphate , gantrez acid and nanoclay / montmorillonites . in addition to the foregoing materials , the denture adhesive composition may be formulated with additional components well - known in the denture adhesive art including plasticizers , rheology modifiers , preservatives , humectants , emulsifiers , antioxidants , super - disintegrants or absorbents , for example , homopolymers of polyvinylpyrrolidone or copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone , flavoring agents , colorants , cross - linking agents , antimicrobial agents , control release agents , antifoaming agents , sweetening agents , viscosity modifiers and so forth . flavoring agents well known to the denture adhesive art may be added to the compositions of the present invention . these flavoring agents include without limitation , synthetic flavor oils and / or oils derived from plants , leaves , flowers , fruits and so forth , and combinations thereof . representative flavor oils include , spearmint oil , cinnamon oil , oil of wintergreen ( methylsalicylate ) and peppermint oils . also useful are artificial , natural or synthetic fruit flavors such as citrus oil including lemon , orange , grape , lime , and grapefruit , and fruit essences including apple , strawberry , cherry , pineapple , and so forth . the flavoring agent may be a liquid , spray dried , encapsulated , or absorbed on a carrier , and mixtures thereof . one embodiment of this invention contains as a flavoring agent , peppermint oil . the amount of flavoring agent utilized varies depending on such factors as flavor type , adhesive formulation and strength desired . in general , amounts of about 0 . 01 to about 5 . 0 wt . % of the total denture adhesive composition are suitable . in one embodiment of the invention , an amount of about 0 . 05 to 0 . 15 wt . % is used . in another embodiment , an amount of about 0 . 0 to about 0 . 1 wt . % is used . preservatives which may be used in the denture adhesive formulations of the invention include those known antimicrobial agents conventionally employed in the art , such as benzoic acid and sodium benzoate ; the parabens ; sorbic acid and sorbates ; propionic acid and propionates ; acetic acid and acetates ; nitrates and nitrites ; sulfur dioxide and sulfites ; antibiotics ; diethyl pyrocarbonate ; epoxides ; hydrogen peroxide ; and phosphates . the parabens include the methyl , ethyl , propyl , and butyl esters of parahydroxybenzoic acid . methyl paraben and propyl paraben are useful in one or more embodiment of the invention , utilized in amounts of about 0 . 03 to about 0 . 06 wt . % of the total denture adhesive composition . the denture adhesive compositions may also include the use of sweeteners well known in the art . the sweetening agent may be selected from a wide range of materials including water - soluble agents , water - soluble artificial sweeteners , and dipeptide based sweeteners , including mixtures thereof . representative sweeteners include without limitation , ( a ) water - soluble sweetening agents such as monosaccharides , disaccharides and polysaccharides such as xylose , ribose , glucose , mannose , galactose , fructose , dextrose , sucrose , sugar , maltose , partially hydrolyzed starch , or corn syrup solids and sugar alcohols such as sorbitol , xylitol , mannitol , maltitol , hydrogenated starch hydrolysate , and mixtures thereof ; ( b ) water - soluble artificial sweeteners such as the soluble saccharin salts , i . e ., sodium or calcium saccharin salts , cyclamate salts , acesulfam - k , sucralose , and the like , and the free acid form of saccharin ; and ( c ) dipeptide based sweeteners such as l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine methyl ester , and the like . in general , the amount of sweetener may be about 0 . 001 to about 5 wt . % of the total denture adhesive composition . the colorants useful in the present invention include the pigments such as titanium dioxide , and may also include dyes suitable for food , drug and cosmetic applications . these colorants are known as fd & amp ; c dyes . illustrative examples include without limitation , indigo dye , known as fd & amp ; c blue no . 2 , which is the disodium salt of 5 , 5 ′- indigotindi - sulfonic acid ; fd & amp ; c green no . 1 , comprising a triphenylmethylene dye and is the monosodium salt of the 4 -[ 4 - n - ethyl - p - sulfobenzylamino ) diphenylmethylene ]-[ 1 -( n - ethyl - n — p - sulfobenzyl )- 2 , 5 - cyclohexadienimine ]. one embodiment of the invention uses fd & amp ; c red no . 3 as a colorant . the viscosity modifiers useful herein include without limitation , quaternary ammonium compounds and similar agents , starches , gums , casein , gelatin and semi - synthetic cellulose . the composition of the present invention may also be used as a denture adhesive and / or bioadhesive and comprise one or more therapeutic actives suitable for mucosal or topical administration . the phrase “ suitable for mucosal or topical administration ,” as used herein , describes agents which are pharmacologically active when absorbed through internal mucosal surfaces of the body such as the oral cavity , or applied to the surfaces of the skin . therapeutic actives may be present at a level from about 0 to about 40 wt . % of the composition . therapeutic actives that are useful in the instant compositions include antimicrobial agents such as iodine , sulfonamides , bisbiguanides , triclosan or phenolics ; antibiotics such as tetracycline , neomycin , kanamycin , metronidazole , or clindamycin ; anti - inflammatory agents such as aspirin , acetaminophen , naproxen and its salts , ibuprofen , ketorolac , flurbiprofen , indomethacin , eugenol , or hydrocortisone ; dentinal desensitizing agents such as potassium nitrate , potassium chloride , strontium chloride or sodium fluoride ; anesthetic agents such as lidocaine or benzocaine ; antifungals ; aromatics such as camphor , eucalyptus oil , and aldehyde derivatives such as benzaldehyde ; insulin ; steroids ; and anti - neoplastics . it is recognized that in certain forms of therapy , combinations of these agents in the same delivery system may be useful in order to obtain an optimal effect . thus , for example , an antimicrobial and an anti - inflammatory agent may be combined in a single delivery system to provide combined effectiveness . the denture adhesive compositions may be in the form of a powder , a paste , a cream , a gel or a liner . these pastes or gels can either be applied by consumers from a container such as a tube , a brush pen , a spray bottle , a glue stick , or any other specially designed container with a consumer use friendly applicator , or can be fabricated into hydrogel films or hydrogel sheets , hydrogel strips or hydrogel wafers . these films or strips will possess a certain desirable thickness , strength and integrity during their application . means for preparing such formulations are well known in the denture adhesive art , employing conventional types of mixing equipment for blending , heating , and cooling solids and liquids . in one embodiment , the process of making a gel or paste formulation comprises the steps of : preparing a dry polymer powder mixture ; preparing the medium such as water , glycerin or mixture of water / glycerin ; adding the pre - made polymer powder mixture into the liquid medium and mixing until a uniform gel or paste is formed ; and optionally at the end of mixing , a process such as vacuum to remove the air trapped in the product can be applied . in the powder form , the components are admixed with flavoring agents and colorants , together with other ingredients such as non - toxic anti - caking agents ( silica , magnesium stearate , talcum powder , and the like ). the mixture of ingredients is thoroughly agitated or stirred to yield a generally homogenous intermixing of all components . in the liner or layer form , the components are uniformly mixed and then coated onto a non - adhesive self supporting coating layer by any conventional coating techniques , such as by spraying ( if the material is liquid or slurry or dissolved or suspended in a liquid such as water ) or by sifting ( if the denture adhesive is in powder form ). in another embodiment , the components are admixed with the previously described preservatives , flavoring agents , colorants , sweetening agents , viscosity modifiers , and so forth . the liner is then formed by any variety of techniques known in the polymer film - forming art , including casting , calendaring , coating , and extrusion . in one embodiment to form liners , the components are first mechanically softened by a ring roller ; smoothed on a hydraulic press , and die - cut as desired into denture liner shapes or other desired shapes . to further illustrate the invention , examples are set forth below . in these , as throughout the specification and claims , all parts and percentages are by weight and all temperatures in degrees centigrade , unless otherwise indicated . 2134 . 4 grams of distilled water were heated to 90 ° c . in a glass stirred reaction vessel with water jacket . then the pre - made powder mixture of 427 grams of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( under the trade name of benecel ® from aqualon inc , grade mp874 ), 214 grams of polyethylene oxide ( under the trade name of polyox ® from dow inc ., grade nf303 ), 171 grams of sodium / calcium partial mixed salt of methyl vinyl ether / maleic anhydride copolymer (“ gantrez ® double salt ”), 43 grams of methyl vinyl ether / maleic acid copolymer (“ gantrez ® acid ”), 2 . 8 grams of potassium sorbate and 2 . 8 grams of sodium benzoate were added slowly into the water and mixing continued until a uniformed gel paste was obtained . the reaction was then cooled to 40 ° c . before applying the vacuum to remove the air trapped in the product . finally the product was cooled to room temperature and placed in a clean sterilized glass jar . ( see table below ) 150 grams of distilled water and 250 grams of glycerin were mixed in a stainless bowl using a kitchenaid ® mixer . then the pre - made powder mixture of 100 grams of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( under the trade name of benecel ® from aqualon inc , grade mp874 ), 50 grams of polyethylene oxide ( under the trade name of polyox ® from dow inc ., grade nf303 ), 100 grams of vinyl acetate / vinyl pyrrolidone copolymer ( under the trade name of plasdone ® s630 from isp inc . ), 0 . 6 grams of potassium sorbate and 0 . 6 grams of sodium benzoate was added slowly into the water / glycerin mixture and mixing continued until a uniformed paste was obtained . a vacuum was then applied to remove the air trapped in the product . finally the product was placed in a clean sterilized glass jar . ( see table below ) 229 . 8 grams of distilled water were added into a stainless bowl using a kitchenaid ® mixer . then the pre - made powder mixture of 66 grams of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( under the trade name of benecel ® from aqualon inc , grade mp874 ), 33 grams of polyethylene oxide ( under the trade name of polyox ® from dow inc ., grade nf303 ) and 0 . 2 grams of sodium benzoate were added slowly into the water and mixing continued until a uniformed paste was obtained . a vacuum was then applied to remove the air trapped in the product . finally the product was placed in a clean sterilized glass jar . ( see table below ) 150 grams of distilled water and 250 grams of glycerin were mixed in a stainless bowl using a kitchenaid ® mixer . 0 . 6 grams of peppermint oil and 0 . 6 grams of spearmint oil were added into the above mixture and mixed . then the pre - made powder mixture of 100 grams of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( under the trade name of benecel ® from aqualon inc , grade mp874 ), 50 grams of polyethylene oxide ( under the trade name of polyox ® from dow inc ., grade nf303 ), 100 grams of vinyl acetate / vinyl pyrrolidone copolymer ( under the trade name of plasdone ® s630 from isp inc . ), were added slowly into the water / glycerin mixture and mixing continued until a uniformed paste was obtained . a vacuum was then applied to remove the air trapped in the product . finally the product was placed in a clean sterilized glass jar . ( see table below ) 155 . 2 grams of glycerin were added into a stainless bowl using a kitchenaid ® mixer . 5 . 2 grams of fumed silica was added into the above mixture and mixed . then the pre - made powder mixture of 40 grams of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( under the trade name of benecel ® from aqualon inc , grade mp874 ), 20 grams of polyethylene oxide ( under the trade name of polyox ® from dow inc ., grade nf303 ), 20 grams of vinyl acetate / vinyl pyrrolidone copolymer ( under the trade name of plasdone ® s630 from isp inc . ), 20 grams of sodium / calcium partial mixed salt of methyl vinyl ether / maleic anhydride copolymer (“ gantrez ® double salt ”), 0 . 24 grams of potassium sorbate , 0 . 24 grams of sodium benzoate and 0 . 04 grams of benzoic acid were added slowly into the glycerin / fumed silica mixture and mixing continued until a uniformed paste was obtained . a vacuum was then applied to remove the air trapped in the product . finally the product was placed in a clean sterilized glass jar . ( see table below ) 125 grams of glycerin were added into a stainless bowl using a kitchenaid ® mixer . then the pre - made powder mixture of 50 grams of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( under the trade name of benecel ® from aqualon inc , grade mp874 ), 25 grams of polyethylene oxide ( under the trade name of polyox ® from dow inc ., grade nf303 ), 50 grams of vinyl acetate / vinyl pyrrolidone copolymer ( under the trade name of plasdone ® s630 from isp inc . ), 2 . 5 grams of montmorillonites ( under the trade name of nanoclay ® pgv from nanocor inc . ), 0 . 24 grams of potassium sorbate , 0 . 24 grams of sodium benzoate and 0 . 04 grams of benzoic acid were added slowly into the glycerin and mixing continued until a uniformed paste was obtained . a vacuum was then applied to remove the air trapped in the product . finally the product was placed in a clean sterilized glass jar . ( see table below ) 298 . 7 grams of propylene glycol were added into a stainless bowl using a kitchenaid ® mixer . then the pre - made powder mixture of 74 . 55 grams of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( under the trade name of benecel ® from aqualon inc , grade mp874 ), 59 . 65 grams of polyethylene oxide ( under the trade name of polyox ® from dow inc ., grade nf303 ), 67 . 1 grams of vinyl acetate / vinyl pyrrolidone copolymer ( under the trade name of plasdone ® s630 from isp inc . ), 15 grams of montmorillonites ( under the trade name of nanoclay ® pgv from nanocor inc . ), 0 . 24 grams of potassium sorbate , 0 . 24 grams of sodium benzoate and 0 . 04 grams of benzoic acid were added slowly into the propylene glycol and mixing continued until a uniformed paste was obtained . a vacuum was then applied to remove the air trapped in the product . finally the product was placed in a clean sterilized glass jar . ( see table below ) similarly to examples 1 through 7 , the following formulations were made and are included within the scope of this invention . the above description fully discloses the invention including preferred embodiments thereof . modifications and improvements of the embodiments specifically disclosed herein are within the scope of the following claims . without further elaboration it is believed that one skilled in the art can , given the preceding description , utilize the present invention to its fullest extent . therefore any examples are to be construed as merely illustrative and not a limitation on the scope of the present invention in any way . the embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows .
the present invention is directed to an improved denture adhesive composition . in particular , this invention is directed to a denture adhesive composition free of a hydrocarbon vehicle , such as petrolatum or mineral oil .