Which route involves the administration of medication by placing it within the cheek or the cavity of the mouth?

Which route involves the administration of medication by placing it within the cheek or the cavity of the mouth?

• A. Oral route
• B. Topical route
• C. Buccal route
• D. Mucus membrane route

Answer: (C)

Buccal administration is placing the medicine in the space between the cheek and the gums, where it is held against the cheek’s mucous membrane to be absorbed. This route allows the drug to enter the bloodstream through the oral mucosa, often avoiding first-pass metabolism in the liver. It can be used for systemic effects or for local action inside the mouth. The oral route requires swallowing the drug to be absorbed in the digestive tract, where it may be degraded and undergo first-pass metabolism. The topical route refers to applying something on the skin or mucous surfaces for local effect, not the inside-cheek absorption described here. The mucus membrane route is a broad category of mucous membranes, including buccal tissue, but the specific placement in the cheek identifies it as the buccal route.

Buccal administration is placing the medicine in the space between the cheek and the gums, where it is held against the cheek’s mucous membrane to be absorbed. This route allows the drug to enter the bloodstream through the oral mucosa, often avoiding first-pass metabolism in the liver. It can be used for systemic effects or for local action inside the mouth. The oral route requires swallowing the drug to be absorbed in the digestive tract, where it may be degraded and undergo first-pass metabolism. The topical route refers to applying something on the skin or mucous surfaces for local effect, not the inside-cheek absorption described here. The mucus membrane route is a broad category of mucous membranes, including buccal tissue, but the specific placement in the cheek identifies it as the buccal route.