Development of Orally Disintegrating Tablets for Paediatric and Geriatric Patients
The present research on orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) of pediatric and geriatric patients reviewed 10–15 secondary source formulations for disintegration time, mechanical strength, drug release, and taste-maskedness. Lyophilization yielded the shortest disintegration (5–15 sec) and maximum dissolution (85–95%) but exhibited poor mechanical strength (10–20N). Direct compression yielded the maximum strength (40–50N) but the maximum disintegration time (25–40 sec). Sublimation equilibrated both, with fair disintegration (15–30 sec) and hardness (20–35N) but required improved taste-masking. Statistical analysis revealed good negative correlation (-0.85) between dissolution time and dissolution rate. Regression analysis validated lyophilization effectively lowered disintegration time (p = 0.012, β = -0.74), whereas direct compression raised it (p = 0.031, β = +0.62). The research emphasizes lyophilization as the most efficient technique but proposes hybrid methods and AI-aided optimization for improved mechanical strength and taste-masking. Clinical validation and in-vivo testing should be included in future work.