A short while ago, the 2026 China Dental Valley Industry Development Conference was held as scheduled in Ziyang.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Dental Valley’s establishment, and there is a significant development worth noting.

The park, which has already become the nation’s largest hub for the dental equipment and materials industry, announced the launch of its “second phase of development.”

Ten years ago, 80 percent of China’s high-end dental equipment and materials relied on imports.

Today, 434 “Made in Ziyang” dental products are exported to more than 100 countries and regions worldwide.

Ziyang has been telling the story of a single tooth for a decade, and now it’s time for Season Two.

01 Strategic Resolve: Focusing Exclusively on One Tooth for a Decade

On the map of investment promotion, Ziyang has always kept a low profile.

Yet it is precisely this city that has turned a single tooth into a world-class business.

The story began with a strategic move.
In 2016, leveraging the academic strengths of the century-old West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan Province set its sights on “building a renowned domestic dental brand” and established a national-level industrial base for dental equipment and materials in Ziyang—thus giving birth to China Dental Valley.

Over the course of a decade, the area has attracted 152 domestic and international dental enterprises—including 12 foreign-invested companies—and developed a comprehensive product portfolio comprising over 60 types of dental equipment across four major categories and over 100 types of dental materials across five major categories.

By 2025, China Dental Valley’s output value reached 4.5 billion yuan, and its exports of dental medical devices ranked first in Sichuan Province. Three key distinctions firmly establish its global standing:

one of the nation’s largest industrial clusters for dental equipment and materials; the world’s largest production base for clear aligners; and the nation’s largest production base for intraoral scanners.

To fully appreciate the significance of these achievements, one must consider the broader context of the industry.

For a long time, 80 percent of China’s mid-to-high-end dental equipment relied on imports. Behind the challenges of “expensive and difficult access to dental care” lay the reality that core technologies were subject to foreign constraints.

Ziyang Fentai Medical’s intraoral scanners have broken this pattern. This micro-enterprise, which established operations here in 2017, now holds more than 40 domestic and international patents, with products exported to dozens of countries including North America, the European Union, and Brazil—cracking open a breach in the monopoly of imported equipment.

Domestic substitution is not just a slogan—it is represented by each piece of equipment rolling out of Ziyang’s workshops and into the global market. As public awareness of oral health grows, the domestic orthodontic market is projected to exceed 80 billion yuan by 2026 and continues to expand.

In this fast-paced race, whoever can truly achieve import substitution will seize the initiative—and Ziyang has already taken the lead.

A decade of dedication tests one’s resolve.

Currently, more than 10 industrial parks named “Dental Valley” have emerged across the country, including those in Beijing, Wuxi, and Foshan.

On one hand, we are extending and strengthening the industrial chain to continue expanding our “circle of partners”; on the other hand, we are bolstering the back-end service market to accelerate the clinical translation of new drugs, products, and medical devices.

With both the century-old brand advantage of West China Stomatology and a comprehensive industrial support system coupled with an excellent business environment, the region is well-positioned to become a global hub for dental technology innovation.

“Building the Dental Valley requires sustained, long-term effort, with each administration building on the work of the last.” Staying the course is precisely what enables Ziyang to transform “small” into “excellent.”

02 Full-Chain Ecosystem: Three Major Centers as Core Engines

Whether an industry can truly take root ultimately depends on whether companies can thrive after establishing a presence here.

The dental industry is characterized by high R&D barriers, lengthy approval cycles, and high testing costs—three hurdles that have historically kept countless companies out.

China Dental Valley’s solution is to proactively and centrally handle matters within the government’s purview.

In July 2023, the Ziyang Branch of the Sichuan Service Station for Medical Device Innovation—affiliated with the Medical Device Technical Review Center of the National Medical Products Administration—was established.enabling Ziyang to become the first city in the province to establish a Drug and Medical Device Application Service Center. This initiative has streamlined the “national–provincial–municipal” three-tier green channel and introduced a full-process service featuring “same-day processing for Class I certificates, no waiting for Class II certificates, and seamless processing for Class III certificates.”

The results speak for themselves: product registration times have been reduced by 60% compared to standard procedures. Kava’s Class III registration certificate from Germany was approved in just 103 working days, and Benteng Technology’s Class II certificate was processed in 34 working days—both far exceeding industry averages.

Fast approval is only the first step; testing is another major headache for companies.

In February 2025, the Sichuan Provincial Dental Equipment and Materials Testing Center obtained national-level CMA certification and CNAS accreditation simultaneously. It has established 28 specialized laboratories and invested 230 million yuan to purchase over 1,000 pieces of testing equipment, enabling companies to “submit samples within the park without waiting in line.”

According to the plan, the number of testing parameters will be expanded to 800 by 2026. The days of off-site testing and back-and-forth travel are coming to an end.

Research and development is the source of long-term momentum. The China Dental Valley R&D Incubation Center of the State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and the nation’s first Innovation and Transformation Center for Dental Equipment at a higher vocational college have been successively established. China Dental Valley has also formed the “China Dental Valley Think Tank,” led by 14 academicians and experts, and has co-established an innovation consortium with West China School of Stomatology.

At the Industrial Development Conference held this past April, a batch of research and development projects from West China School of Stomatology—selected through an open challenge and leadership recruitment process—were officially launched, marking the entry of university-local government collaboration into a new phase characterized by regularity and large-scale cooperation.

The platform continues to expand: the China Dental Valley Academic Exchange and Exhibition Hall—which integrates science popularization, training, product demonstrations, and trade exhibitions—is emerging as the Valley’s global showcase.

As of December 2025, China Dental Valley had obtained a cumulative total of 401 medical device product registration (filing) certificates. A comprehensive service system covering the entire lifecycle of enterprises has already taken shape.

03 A Second Venture: From a Single Tooth to Comprehensive Health

After a decade of laying the groundwork, the sense of accomplishment felt by enterprises speaks volumes.

Step into the digital workshop of Sichuan Henghexin, where a set of custom dentures can be produced in just a few hours.

As one of the first companies to settle here in 2017, it has reduced the traditional manual production cycle for dentures—which used to take 3 to 4 days—to as little as 5 hours; an urgent crown order from West China Hospital was completed in just 4 hours and 55 minutes, from data receipt to final delivery.

Faced with an overseas patient who could only stay in Ziyang for one week, Henghexin collaborated seamlessly with the clinical team to complete and deliver custom dentures within 30 hours, giving the patient a brand-new smile.

Behind this success lies the Dental Valley’s unique model of “front-store, back-factory” and “integration of medicine and engineering,” where the clinical side precisely matches patient needs, the production side efficiently executes orders, and the talent pool continuously injects vitality.

An increasing number of “new Ziyang residents” are also putting down roots here.

In 2017, New Huaguang Medical Technology Group invested 290 million yuan to establish operations in China Dental Valley, transitioning from the dental distribution sector to technology-driven manufacturing. Today, the group has built 10 standardized factories with an annual output value exceeding 1 billion yuan and was honored as a “Growth Partner in the Development of China Dental Valley” at the 2026 China Dental Valley 10th Anniversary Conference.

The founder of Sichuan Dental Valley 8020 Dental Hospital is from South Korea. In 2018, he established Kaimu Dental Hospital Management Company with the support of China Dental Valley and began selling dental medical devices; in 2020, he signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Ziyang High-Tech Zone and founded Dental Valley 8020 Dental Hospital.

He candidly noted that the area offers high-quality clinical resources, efficient production support, and access to professional talent, making it an ideal breeding ground for dental entrepreneurs. What gives businesses peace of mind is the High-Tech Zone’s tailored “one policy per enterprise” services and “nanny-style” logistical support.

The talent base is equally robust.

Ziyang Dental Vocational College is the nation’s only higher vocational institution named after dentistry. It currently offers 17 programs, has over 8,500 enrolled students, and supplies the industry with more than 2,000 skilled professionals annually.

As it marks its tenth anniversary, China Dental Valley is not content to rest on its laurels as the “fourth global hub.”Closely adhering to the principles of “strengthening advantages, addressing weaknesses, and expanding into new sectors,” the Dental Valley is extending and complementing its industrial chain to expand its “network of partners.” By leveraging its first-mover advantages in testing, inspection, and regulatory approval, it is branching out into new sectors such as pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and medical aesthetics to cultivate new growth engines.A single tooth can leverage the development of a broader industrial belt.

In Closing

By focusing on a single tooth for a decade, Ziyang has proven one thing.

When it comes to attracting investment, there’s no need to chase every hot trend. By identifying niche markets and perfecting the ecosystem, even a small city can take center stage on the world stage.

As the starting gun for its “second entrepreneurial journey” sounds, this city—which has transformed “small” into “excellence”—is ready to tell the story of its next decade.