Starting with the "Ziyang Plan", China Dental Valley Creates a New Blueprint for the Integration of Oral Health "Cause + Industry"

On September 5th, the "China New Oral Health Initiative · Sichuan-Chongqing Tour" event concluded successfully at China Dental Valley in Ziyang, Sichuan Province. Hosted jointly by the China Oral Care and Sanitary Products Industry Association and the Ziyang Municipal Government, this major industry gathering took "One More Brush, A Bit More Health" as its core slogan. Through diverse segments including policy announcements, campus science popularization, and enterprise matchmaking, it not only built a platform for the coordinated development of oral health in Sichuan and Chongqing, but also took the "Ziyang Plan" as a key driver to propel China Dental Valley's leap from an "industrial highland" to a "benchmark for health services". This has provided a replicable "Ziyang Model" for the integration of national oral health "cause + industry".

On the day of the event, Guo Qiang, Chairman of the China Oral Care and Sanitary Products Industry Association, Han Xianglong, President of West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, leaders of Ziyang City, and representatives from 144 oral care enterprises gathered together. In his speech, Guo Qiang sounded the alarm with a set of data: "In China, the caries rate of deciduous teeth among 5-year-old children is 70.9%, the gingival bleeding rate among people aged 35 to 44 is 87.4%, and the rate of brushing teeth twice a day is only 36%—far lower than the 80% level in Europe and the United States." He emphasized that the Sichuan-Chongqing region should take this event as an opportunity to break down the barriers of regional collaboration and bring oral health knowledge to more people.

From the perspective of clinical frontlines, Han Xianglong, President of West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, pointed out the contradiction between supply and demand in China's oral health services: "The number of people with missing teeth in China has exceeded 600 million, and the rate of missing teeth among the elderly is as high as 86%. However, the consultation rate for dental implants is less than 0.5%, far lower than the level of over 5% in European and American countries." Behind this set of data lies not only the people's livelihood pain point of "difficulty and high cost in accessing dental care" but also a development issue that the industry urgently needs to address.

The integrated industrial chain ecosystem of "production, education, research, marketing, medical treatment, and elderly care" formed by China Dental Valley after 8 years of in-depth development is precisely the key support to resolve this contradiction. According to on-site promotion by Li Jianying, Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Director of the Administrative Committee of Ziyang High-Tech Zone, up to now, the Dental Valley has attracted a total of 144 domestic and foreign oral care enterprises, including 15 of the world's top 100 industry enterprises such as Align Technology and Angelalign; 374 "Ziyang-made" products cover 9 categories including oral equipment and materials, and are sold to more than 60 countries and regions around the world. Among them, the annual output of invisible aligners reaches 72 million pieces, solidifying its position as the world's largest production base.

More importantly, the intensive production achieved by industrial agglomeration in the Dental Valley is driving a "price revolution" in oral medical products. From core equipment to care products, the scale effect has significantly reduced production costs, making once "unaffordable" oral care services gradually become accessible to the general public. This provides solid support for ordinary people to enjoy high-quality oral health services.

At the highlight of the event, the conference released the "China New Oral Health Initiative · Ziyang Plan", which clearly states that over the next three years, it will achieve full-age coverage of oral health services through three major sections: "Whole-Cycle Protection", "Seedling Care Initiative", and "Smiling Workplace". At the "Pilot Schools" licensing ceremony held simultaneously, 20 schools in Ziyang were awarded licenses, becoming pioneering bases for oral health science popularization on campus.

The core of the "Ziyang Plan" is to transform the industrial advantages of the Dental Valley into people's well-being. Over the next three years, in terms of "full-cycle oral protection", Ziyang will rely on primary medical and health institutions to provide free fluoride application and pit and fissure sealing services annually for children aged 3-12 and the elderly over 65, with the goal of reducing the incidence of dental caries by 10%. At the same time, it will build a popular science matrix of "Oral Health Enters Every Household", organizing 200 lectures and producing 100 popular science short videos each year, and striving to achieve a total view count of over 5 million. A relevant person in charge of the municipal government stated, "We will collaborate with enterprises in the Dental Valley to develop affordable oral care products, ensuring that the people can 'access and afford them'."

The "Seedling Care Initiative" targeting adolescents features notable highlights: Oral health education will be incorporated into primary and secondary school curricula, and a team of "experts + teachers" will be established to develop interesting courses; through the "Healthy Teeth · Strong Youth" competition and the selection of "Oral Health Ambassadors for Children", the concept of oral health will be promoted through the "children leading adults" approach; in addition, the stomatological hospital in the Dental Valley will establish electronic health records for all primary and secondary school students in the city, providing free annual oral examinations to achieve early detection and treatment of oral problems.

The "Smiling Workplace" plan focuses on employees' health: It will promote the inclusion of specialized oral examinations in the annual physical check-ups for government agencies and state-owned enterprises, set up "Oral Health Service Stations", and jointly launch "workplace oral care packages" with enterprises. Furthermore, a digital management platform will be developed to provide online consultation and appointment registration services. "After the plan is implemented, employees will be able to access professional oral care services without leaving their workplaces," the relevant person in charge of the municipal government added.

In an interview, Guo Qiang, Chairman of the China Oral Care and Sanitary Products Industry Association, explained the core reasons for choosing Ziyang to host the "China New Oral Health Initiative · Sichuan-Chongqing Tour" and attracting enterprises to settle here: "The industrial chain supporting facilities and business environment here form a unique 'combined strategy', which can effectively address the pain points in enterprise development." He specifically mentioned that China Dental Valley has established a green channel for review and approval at the national, provincial, and municipal levels, which can shorten the registration time of oral care products by 60%. It has realized "same-day processing for Class I certificates and no queuing for Class II certificates", with approval efficiency leading the country.

Regarding the promotion of subsequent cooperation, Guo Qiang revealed: "At present, a number of enterprises have reached a preliminary consensus on cooperation with Ziyang High-Tech Zone, and enterprises are highly enthusiastic about participation. In the next step, the association will take the initiative to act as a 'pioneer', give full play to its role as a bridge and link, do a good job in intermediary services, and promote more cooperation to transform from consensus into practical results."

Guo Genghong, Sales Director of Sanying Packaging, who visited Ziyang for the first time, was deeply impressed by Ziyang's services: "The mayor personally participated in the meeting, and the investment promotion team made detailed arrangements for every link of the schedule." His company mainly engages in toothpaste hose packaging and has planned to carry out supply chain cooperation with enterprises in the Dental Valley.

After inspecting China Dental Valley, Wang Qin, Chairman of Shanghai Maxam Daily Chemical Co., Ltd., clearly expressed her intention to cooperate: "This time, we have brought Shanghai High-Sensitivity White Toothpaste suitable for young people and Children's Paopaowa Toothpaste with a national biological cavity-prevention patent. In the future, Maxam hopes to carry out in-depth supply chain cooperation with enterprises in the Dental Valley. Relying on the complete industrial supporting system here, we will optimize product production, logistics, and upstream and downstream connection links, so that high-quality oral care products can reach the Sichuan-Chongqing region and even the southwest market more quickly."

As Li Jianying introduced at the conference, the core competitiveness of the Dental Valley lies in its in-depth cooperation with West China Hospital of Stomatology: "We have jointly built a scientific research transformation platform, invested 300 million yuan in the construction of a technological innovation center, with 14 academicians leading the think tank. The Oral Vocational College outputs more than 2,000 skilled talents every year, providing full-chain support for industrial development."

Against the backdrop of the Chengdu-Chongqing Twin-City Economic Circle, the regional advantage of Ziyang as the "Heart of Chengdu-Chongqing" has become increasingly prominent. It is only a 20-minute drive from Tianfu International Airport and connected to Chengdu via metro, making it a "link" for the coordinated development of the oral care industry between the two cities.

Zhao Zhihe, President of the Sichuan Oral Medical Innovation Promotion Association, analyzed: "Chongqing has gathered a large number of oral care enterprises to form a cluster advantage, while Sichuan possesses top-tier oral care scientific research resources. China Dental Valley in Ziyang can break down the resource barriers between the two places and enable in-depth linkage between the industrial cluster and the scientific research highland, thereby achieving a development breakthrough of '1+12'."

At present, the association is actively acting as a matchmaker to facilitate in-depth cooperation negotiations between leading enterprises in the industry and the Dental Valley.

Talent collaboration in the oral care field of Sichuan and Chongqing is advancing steadily. Ziyang Oral Vocational College gives full play to its own advantages and actively builds a bridge for cooperation. The college has joined hands with the Stomatological Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University to carry out cooperation in talent cultivation, clinical practice and other aspects, optimizing curriculum settings and providing a large number of internship opportunities for students. At the same time, relying on the academic and scientific research advantages of West China Hospital of Stomatology, the college has jointly established joint laboratories and talent training bases. With this support, teachers and students can participate in high-end scientific research projects and improve their academic capabilities.

Based on the close collaboration in the human resources and social security (HRSS) field between Sichuan and Chongqing, the "Sichuan-Chongqing Talent Mutual Recognition" mechanism continues to be improved. For personnel holding relevant professional title certificates issued by the HRSS departments of Sichuan or Chongqing, when they flow across regions or units, they do not need to go through re-evaluation and confirmation, and can directly enjoy the local policies on professional title evaluation and appointment. Graduates of Ziyang Oral Vocational College, relying on the professional knowledge and skills accumulated at school, can smoothly enter well-known oral care enterprises and medical institutions in Chongqing, Chengdu and other places through this mechanism.

Xia Yujian, Vice President of the college, said: "The cooperation and talent mutual recognition mechanism has broadened the employment channels for students and also enabled oral care enterprises and medical institutions in Sichuan and Chongqing to recruit talents that meet their needs." In addition, Wang Guanghua, Member of the Party Working Committee and Deputy Director of Ziyang High-Tech Zone, revealed: "The China Oral Care Products Association will carry out in-depth cooperation with Ziyang Oral Vocational College in fields such as talent cultivation, technology incubation, skill training and professional certification training. At present, the two parties have reached a strong willingness to cooperate through exchanges."

In the afternoon of the event day, the "Oral Health Enters Campus" activity was simultaneously launched at Ziyang Oral Vocational College and Xingfu Bowen School. At Xingfu Bowen School, stomatological expert Zhang Ke helped 30 parent-child families master the correct tooth-brushing method through the "Tooth-Brushing Challenge" game. Enterprise representatives presented "Little Tooth Care Guards" certificates and family oral care gift packs to the students, fulfilling the goal of "educating one child to influence an entire family".

In terms of industrial cooperation, 11 caring enterprises donated oral care products worth 600,000 yuan to 20 pilot schools; enterprises including Shanghai Maxam and Chongqing Dencare reached cooperation agreements with Ziyang Oral Vocational College, planning to jointly build training bases and cultivate professional talents in a targeted manner. "This event has allowed us to see the potential of the Dental Valley, and we will increase investment in the future," said Zhao Fengshuo, General Manager of Chongqing Dencare. His enterprise has set the goal of "having 20 healthy teeth at the age of 80" and plans to carry out more public welfare activities in Sichuan and Chongqing.

This "Sichuan-Chongqing Tour" event has made China Dental Valley in Ziyang a vivid model of "industry empowering health and health activating industry". With the implementation of the "Ziyang Plan" and the deepening of Sichuan-Chongqing coordination, the Dental Valley will, with stronger industrial vitality and better livelihood services, provide the "Ziyang Model" for the development of national oral health cause and inject "oral care power" into the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing Twin-City Economic Circle.

As Guo Qiang put it: "The practice in Ziyang will make the seeds of 'new oral health' take root and germinate in the land of Sichuan and Chongqing, guarding the smiles of more people."