Department of Preventive Dentistry

Overview

The Department of Preventive Dentistry, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, was officially established in 1996, in response to the growing demand for specialized development in stomatology in China. 

History and Development

The department was founded under the leadership of its first director, Professor Zhang Heguang, with Professor Lin Huancai serving as academic leader. Starting with a team of four dentists and two nurses, the department laid the foundation for the development of preventive dentistry as a distinctive discipline.

In 1997, the department initiated a collaboration with the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong. Through the adoption of advanced research methods and standardized survey protocols, the team conducted one of the earliest large-scale oral health survey across multiple cities in Guangdong Province. This work resulted in four publications in the Journal of Dental Research and provided important evidence on the prevalence of dental caries and periodontal diseases, as well as oral health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among residents of Guangdong Province. These studies laid an important scientific foundation for oral disease prevention and control in South China.

Since 2005, under the continued leadership of Professor Lin Huancai, the department has entered a period of sustained academic growth. In 2005 and 2015, the department served as a key member of the national technical advisory group for the Third and Fourth National Oral Health Surveys, contributing to the nationwide assessment of oral health in China. In 2007, Professor Lin Huancai founded the Preventive Dentistry Committee of the Guangdong Stomatological Association and began supervising doctoral students, marking a major step forward in the development of discipline.

In 2020 and 2022, the department was elected as the chair institution of the Preventive Dentistry Committee of the Chinese Stomatological Association and the Oral Health Committee of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, respectively. In 2022, the department became the lead institution for compiling the 8th edition of the undergraduate textbook Preventive Dentistry. In 2025, the course Preventive Dentistry was recognized as a National First-Class Undergraduate Course, and the department was approved to undertake the Guangdong Provincial Clinical Key Specialty Construction Project.

Over the past five years, the department has also led the development of one group standard issued by the Chinese Stomatological Association, and six national invention patents have been granted for technologies related to caries prevention and treatment.

Faculty and Clinical Services

The department currently comprises 14 dentists and 13 nurses. Among the dentists, four hold senior professional titles, 12 hold doctoral degrees, and two hold master’s degrees.

The department provides more than 25,000 outpatient visits annually. Its major clinical services include oral health management, caries risk assessment, prevention and minimally invasive treatment of dental caries, and prevention and treatment of periodontal diseases.

Locations:

Yuexiu Campus: 1st Floor, Building 2

Tianhe Campus: 8th Floor

Contact Numbers:

020-83744816, 020-62833770