CAS Angels Biotech: Originality and Precision — A Breakthrough Path in Dental Implant Innovation

KPMG China’s Top 50 Private Dental Healthcare Enterprises is part of the KPMG China Healthcare 50 series. With a long-standing commitment to closely monitoring development trends in China’s healthcare industry, KPMG China aims, through this public-welfare initiative focused on the dental sector, to identify outstanding benchmark enterprises in the dental healthcare market. The initiative seeks to support the healthy growth of more high-quality private dental healthcare providers, jointly explore emerging trends shaping the future of China’s dental healthcare market from a global perspective, and contribute to the transformation and rise of China’s dental healthcare industry.

To support the “Top 50 Private Dental Healthcare Enterprises in China” initiative, KPMG China has specially curated and launched the “Dental Top 50 Opportunities” series. This series focuses on enterprises across the upstream and downstream segments of the dental healthcare industry chain, exploring topics such as the current market environment, investment hotspots, and industrial transformation, to provide insights into the future development trends of the dental healthcare sector.

In this article, we share the latest installment of the “Oral Care 50 Opportunities” interview series in a five-question, five-answer format. In this interview, Luo Jianying, Tax Leader Partner for Healthcare and Life Sciences at KPMG China, speaks with Chen Xianshuai, Founder and Chief Engineer of Zhongke Anchi.

Since its establishment in 2015, Zhongke Anchi has overcome multiple “chokepoint” technologies and independently developed a universal dental implant with a fatigue resistance strength of up to 10 million cycles. This innovation has reduced the price of universal dental implants to 60% of that of foreign brands. As one of the few companies globally to master “hydrophilic surface treatment technology,” Zhongke Anchi holds nearly 400 patents, accounting for more than 40% of all patents in China’s dental implant sector, with its number of 3D-printed implant patents ranking among the top nationwide. Furthermore, Zhongke Anchi has innovatively launched personalized dental implants based on imaging and 3D printing technologies, which significantly protect patients’ oral bone tissue and shorten the restoration period from nine months to three months. What are the core advantages of Zhongke Anchi’s independent R&D?

Chen Xianshuai:The core of Zhongke Anchi’s R&D strategy is achieving independent control over key core technologies. No longer satisfied with existing “follow-on” innovation, the company aims to break its dependence on the core technologies of overseas competitors. To this end, as early as 2011, Zhongke Anchi leveraged the Guangzhou Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, for project incubation, strategically focusing on the “chokepoint” core technology area in implantable medical devices—namely, hydrophilic surface treatment technology.

After three years of continuous exploration and tens of thousands of repeated experiments, Zhongke Anchi successfully developed a three-dimensional porous micro-submicro-nano composite surface in 2016. This surface facilitates early osteoblast adhesion, promotes initial bone growth and guided osseointegration, while the accompanying expandable structure further enhances primary stability upon implantation. Zhongke Anchi has dedicated itself to overcoming technical challenges, establishing proprietary hydrophilic surface treatment technology that covers the entire process from raw materials and solution formulations to processing equipment.

Surface treatment technology represents the most critical technical bottleneck for dental implants, fundamentally determining a company’s future competitiveness in the global field of oral implantology and prosthodontics. Recognizing that such a pivotal technological breakthrough could not be entirely outsourced to the supply chain, Zhongke Anchi chose to establish its own company in 2015 to drive industrialization. Built upon the foundational “hydrophilic surface treatment technology,” Zhongke Anchi has pursued independent research and development (R&D) and technological innovation, establishing full-stack in-house product development capabilities. By continuously expanding the technological boundaries of Chinese-made implant brands, it became the first to obtain a Class III medical device registration certificate for dental implants in China, thereby filling a gap in the domestic market. The company has consistently developed and launched general-purpose dental implants with fatigue resistance reaching 10 million cycles, as well as personalized dental implants based on imaging and 3D printing technologies. Its product portfolio has become increasingly clear: starting with dental implants, it has gradually extended to personalized craniomaxillofacial repair materials for trauma care, cosmetic plastic surgery, and cancer reconstruction, with future expansion planned into 3D-printed orthopedic solutions.

Notably, Zhongke Anchi has been collaborating with the Faculty of Dentistry at The University of Hong Kong in recent years to develop craniomaxillofacial reconstructive materials. Over the past four years, more than 300 clinical applications have been carried out, particularly in oral cancer reconstruction, with over 200 oral cancer reconstructive surgeries completed in Hong Kong.

Zhongke Anchi has always adhered to the principle that technological innovation should aim to solve customers’ practical problems, genuinely enhance efficiency, and bring about productivity breakthroughs in the dental healthcare industry, rather than pursuing innovation for its own sake. This approach signals the potential for Chinese-made implant brands, driven by technological innovation, to usher in an era where 3D-printed dental implants move beyond the “10,000-yuan price tag.” Specifically, technological innovation requires investment in at least four key areas:

▶ First, the company demonstrates remarkable boldness in R&D investment, with annual R&D expenses accounting for more than 60% of Zhongke Anchi’s total revenue. The rationale is straightforward: technology, much like fresh fruit, has a limited shelf life. Given that the iteration pace of artificial intelligence and big data technologies in China surpasses Moore’s Law, the company continues to ramp up its R&D spending.

▶ Secondly, we promote the complementary development of basic and applied research. By collaborating with renowned universities and research institutions, we not only expand the application of new technologies and products but also cultivate outstanding talent. While scientists have national boundaries, science knows no borders. Zhongke Anchi actively collaborates with prestigious universities both in China and abroad, including but not limited to The University of Hong Kong and McMaster University in Canada, to synergistically advance industrial integration and technological innovation. We fully leverage the technical strengths of all parties to facilitate the translation of technological achievements into real-world productivity.

▶ Third, establish a comprehensive intellectual property protection service system and actively explore patent pool management models. A strong patent portfolio can function like an aircraft carrier battle group. Zhongke Anchi holds over 400 intellectual property rights, including 34 international PCT patents and more than 300 domestic patents, the majority of which are invention patents. In China’s dental implant sector, its total number of patents accounts for 40% of the national total, and its number of patents for 3D-printed implants ranks first among all enterprises in China.

▶ Fourth, leveraging provincial-level engineering technology research centers as platforms, scientific and technological development has exhibited interdisciplinary integration, leading to the creation of innovative products. Although a dental implant may appear to be a small screw, it in fact involves multiple disciplines, including medicine, materials science, surface treatment, and precision machining. It cannot be accomplished by a single specialty alone but requires the establishment of collaborative platforms. To this end, Zhongke Anchi has adopted a product-oriented approach and established four Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Centers: 1) the Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Novel Dental Implant Systems and Clinical Applications, focusing on its core business of dental implants and their clinical applications; 2) the Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Advanced Biomedical Device Manufacturing, developed in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences; 3) the Sub-center of the Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Medical 3D Printing Application and Translation, established in partnership with Southern Medical University; and 4) the Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for 3D Orthopedic Bionic Translational Medicine, co-established with Foshan First People’s Hospital.

Last year, the Mingzheng Dental Clinic, serving as the application demonstration center for Zhongke Anchi, officially opened its doors. Founded by a team of senior physicians who graduated from Guanghua School of Stomatology at Sun Yat-sen University, all members of the team hold master’s degrees or higher. Leveraging Zhongke Anchi’s advanced precision manufacturing technology, Mingzheng Dental Clinic is committed to providing high-quality dental care to patients while regularly offering professional technical guidance and training to dentists across China. What does the establishment of Mingzheng Dental Clinic signify for Zhongke Anchi?

Chen Xianshuai:The establishment of Mingzheng Dental Clinic was not fundamentally driven by its profitability, but rather by its consistent role as the Application Demonstration Center for Zhongke Anchi, demonstrating to the dental healthcare industry that high-quality medical services and precision manufacturing efficiency can coexist synergistically.

Mingzheng Dental Clinic enables dentists to experience products more directly, appreciate Zhongke Anchi’s dedication to product details, and enhance brand awareness and trust. Furthermore, while Zhongke Anchi has traditionally excelled in the upstream sector—specifically, the research, development, and manufacturing of dental implant and restorative products—it is now exploring a new business model. Given that many privately operated dental chain institutions have already secured leading market positions, Zhongke Anchi aims to reduce the number of patient visits to dental clinics by establishing a chairside 3D printing one-stop service model. This approach ensures seamless integration between the 3D printing manufacturing center and dental healthcare providers, facilitating immediate fabrication of dental models by clinicians. Undoubtedly, since the opening of Mingzheng Dental Clinic, the workflow for taking impressions and sending them to manufacturers has been optimized, eliminating the need for patients to schedule additional visits for restorative procedures, thereby significantly improving patient satisfaction.

Building on its Class III medical device dental implants, Zhongke Anchi has continuously expanded its product portfolio by acquiring upstream Class I and II medical device businesses and investing in downstream dental healthcare service providers. This strategy has enabled the company to integrate the dental care industry chain and establish a strategic footprint, thereby securing higher profit margins and strengthening its profitability foundation.

As we understand, you were honored as one of the 2022 “Strong Nation Young Scientists” last year and are the only leader of a scientific and technological innovation team from an enterprise to receive this distinction. Throughout its development, Zhongke Anchi has placed significant emphasis on cultivating skilled talent, adopting multiple measures to attract and retain personnel. These efforts include sponsoring employees for advanced studies and providing on-demand training for frontline skilled workers. To date, Zhongke Anchi has cultivated more than 30 professionals recognized at the national, provincial, municipal, and district levels. Among them, two technical experts have been selected for the National Major Talent Project, and two have been awarded the title of “Craftsman of the Metropolis.” Could you please share your insights on Zhongke Anchi’s talent development strategy?

Chen Xianshuai:It is imperative to accelerate the realization of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement, with an urgent need to break through foreign “chokehold” technologies, which fundamentally requires talent-driven leadership. Innovation attracts talent, and the aggregation of talent sustains innovation, forming the core engine for Zhongke Anchi’s sustainable development.

Unlike other companies that discourage employee training, Zhongke Anchi actively encourages and supports it. The company has explicitly established a tiered training program based on functional roles and job levels, and has developed a relatively comprehensive long-term system for talent attraction and development. Measures include supporting employees in pursuing part-time doctoral degrees, applying for overseas postdoctoral positions, and even providing financial assistance for learning New Concept English to facilitate their reading of English-language literature. According to internal statistics, Zhongke Anchi employs more than 30 high-level talents recognized at the national, provincial, municipal, and district levels, two academicians from developed countries, and two individuals selected for major national engineering projects.

Furthermore, the concept of “talent” is not confined to employees with advanced academic degrees or R&D personnel; talent can be cultivated in any role. As a manufacturer specializing in the research, development, and production of dental implant and restorative products, Zhongke Anchi relies heavily on its frontline technicians to produce qualified products for market release. Consequently, the company places equal emphasis on nurturing these frontline technicians. This approach has yielded numerous notable achievements, including employees recognized as “National Technical Experts” and “National Young Post Experts.” Notably, a post-90s employee was honored with the title of “National Model Worker” at the age of 30, becoming one of the youngest recipients of this prestigious award in China.

Currently, Zhongke Anchi is actively deploying across the upstream and downstream segments of the industry chain. In addition to establishing application demonstration centers represented by Mingzheng Dental Clinic, the company plans to develop an AI-powered monitoring system centered on oral health diagnostics, while also dedicating efforts to the R&D of bioactive materials for dental applications. It strives to integrate 3D printing technology into the design and manufacturing of orthopedic products covering the entire body. Please share Zhongke Anchi’s future development plans for its global expansion.

Chen Xianshuai:Zhongke Anchi, following a development trajectory in which it obtained overseas medical device licenses prior to domestic ones, began exporting its products to overseas markets such as Russia, Portugal, Spain, Hungary, and India in 2019, the year after it first secured EU CE certification in 2018. However, its core sales model, which relied primarily on distributors, was severely impacted by the pandemic, leading to a rapid decline in overseas sales volume. The turning point came in 2020, when Zhongke Anchi obtained its domestic medical device license and subsequently shifted its primary focus to the Chinese market.

If Zhongke Anchi aspires to stand among the world’s leading nations, it must not rely primarily on the domestic market. Instead, it must accelerate the global expansion of its Chinese-made brand, actively engage in global market competition, and enhance its voice on the international stage. To this end, Zhongke Anchi aims to accumulate overseas customers and resources by participating in the International Dental Show (IDS) in Cologne, Germany, and the Singapore Dental Exhibition, with a view to reclaiming its presence in overseas markets. The Southeast Asian region comprising Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand is the strategic focus for its overseas markets this year, and active deployment is already underway.

Luo Jianying:It is not only Chinese consumers who require high-quality, affordable dental implant restoration products; the demands of global consumers must also be met.

Chen Xianshuai:Chinese-made products are gaining both critical acclaim and market success in ASEAN countries, not only promoting high-quality development for enterprises but also enhancing local oral healthcare services to a certain extent. In addition to its dual-track strategy for domestic and international markets, Zhongke Anchi has established a joint venture with McMaster University in Canada for technological R&D and signed a talent development agreement committing to send 10 individuals to the university for advanced studies over five years. This demonstrates that global expansion has long served as the “guiding principle” for Zhongke Anchi.

What do you envision as the future success of Zhongke Anchi?

Chen Xianshuai:Charting the Future Blueprint for Zhongke Anchi: Four Strategic Pillars Essential for Success Through Synergistic Development

First, Zhongke Anchi is committed to serving the dental health of Chinese citizens. This year, it actively responded to the national centralized procurement program and became a Class A winning bidder. In the future, the company aims to ensure that the benefits of technological innovation reach more people, making high-quality, reliable dental implants affordable for everyone.

Furthermore, in the process of technological innovation, Zhongke Anchi reinforces its two core brand attributes—“The Beauty of Originality” and “Ultimate Precision”—by integrating diverse elements to truly achieve a synergistic effect between technology and innovation. Our products adhere to a binary standard: they are either fully compliant (1) or non-compliant (0); there is no room for 0.99. A product is either qualified or unqualified. The remarkable rise of domestic brands is fundamentally driven by continuous product improvement and enhancement, rather than by imitating foreign counterparts. Currently, China’s medical and industrial manufacturing sectors have made significant strides. By fostering open innovation, we aim to promote independent innovation at a higher starting point and accelerate the realization of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and strength.

Furthermore, viewed solely through the lens of Zhongke Anchi’s future development strategy, this initiative not only empowers practitioners in the field of dental medicine from three perspectives—technological innovation, business model innovation, and talent cultivation—but also represents a dual openness, both horizontal and vertical. Horizontally, it connects service chains encompassing dental prevention and treatment. Led by Academician Du Ruxu, the company’s team of PhDs is developing an AI-driven oral health management system centered on the concept of “diagnosing systemic conditions through oral health.” Vertically, it integrates the upstream and downstream segments of the dental medical service industry chain, covering Class I, II, and III medical devices as well as service terminals. The company is currently expanding into orthopedic sectors such as patellar and spinal care, ultimately aiming to construct an ecological closed loop that evolves the dental medical service chain into a comprehensive network. All these efforts serve as the foundational infrastructure for the entire industry chain.

Furthermore, Zhongke Anchi is dedicated to the research and development of bioactive materials for applications in the oral health field. This focus stems from the ability of bioactive materials to stimulate osteogenic differentiation of stem cells, promote angiogenesis, enhance bone regeneration in vivo, and induce mineralization both in vitro and in vivo. Medical-grade pure titanium, with a purity of 99.75%, serves as a core component of implantable medical devices. Due to its similarity to human bone, it exhibits excellent biocompatibility with human tissues and has no toxic or adverse effects. For instance, the primary component of teeth is hydroxyapatite. Dental restorations are commonly performed using 3M resin composites, which are hardened through light-curing. This process is analogous to the principle of rock mineralization in nature, where rocks appear to increase in size after prolonged exposure to wind, sun, and rain.

Finally, as early as 2021, Zhongke Anchi outlined its “311” objectives, concretizing its vision of future success into three strategic goals. The “3” refers to achieving an initial public offering (IPO) within three years, with plans to list in 2024; the first “1” signifies becoming a world-class enterprise in implantable medical devices; and the second “1” aims to become the first dental manufacturing company listed on the STAR Market, which currently has no such enterprises.

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