Sulfonated vinylaromatic homopolymers and copolymers as dental plaque barriers

Claim 1

An oral hygiene composition comprising an effective amount for preventing attachment of dental plaque to teeth of a sulfonated vinylaromatic polymer of at least 50% by weight of at least one repeating unit selected from the group consisting of structure (A), structure (B), and structure (C), and from 0 to 50% by weight of a repeating unit selected from the group consisting of structure (D), and structure (E), wherein R 1 is selected from the group consisting.9f hydrogen, linear or branched lower alkyl of up to 5 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1-20 carbon atoms, fluorine, chlorine, and bromine; R 2 and R 3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and methyl; R 4 is hydrogen or an alkyl group of 1-18 carbon atoms; and R 5 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, methyl, chlorine, bromine, and phenyl, q has a value in the range of from about 0.3 to about 2.6, p is either zero or a number equal to the value of q, M is from the group consisting of lithium, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, aluminum, hydrogen and the ammonium salt derived from ammonia or a pharmaceutically-acceptable organic amine in a pharmaceutically-acceptable oral hygiene vehicle compatible with said polymer.

Claim 11

A method of preparing a composition according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 or any one of Claims 7 to 9, comprising mixing said polymer with said vehicle.