With oral health emerging as a growing concern among younger Chinese consumers, Listerine, the mouthwash brand owned by Kenvue Inc, a United States-based consumer health company, will step up efforts to tap China's expanding health consumption market.

At the 2025 FDI World Dental Congress in Shanghai on Wednesday, Listerine worked with domestic associations and experts to promote preventive oral care, aligning with the Healthy China 2030 initiative and underscoring China's role as a key growth market for global oral health products.

The Healthy China 2030 initiative was unveiled in 2016 to achieve health targets aligned with the United Nations' sustainable development goals.

At the event, Listerine collaborated with international oral health experts and professional associations to delve into the latest advancements and cutting-edge perspectives in global dentistry, addressing public oral health needs and delivering comprehensive oral care solutions.

Established in 1900, the Geneva-based FDI World Dental Federation is an international organization representing dental associations and professionals. With 148 member organizations representing over one million dentists worldwide, the organization hosts the FDI World Dental Congress annually in various countries.

"As Chinese consumers are shifting their focus to preventing potential health risks in self-health management, we are confident that Listerine will play a more significant role in consumers' daily routines and help boost health consumption in China," said Gift Arpaporn Samabhandhu, president of Kenvue China.

"This is part of our unwavering commitment to empowering Chinese consumers to manage minor ailments and take greater responsibility for their own health," she added.

Listerine presented new research and product updates at the congress and worked with international and domestic experts to host a forum on periodontal health, which examined how clinical guidelines can be applied in patient care and encouraged academic exchange on oral health practices.

Rong Wensheng, a professor at the department of preventive dentistry, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, and secretary-general of the China Oral Health Foundation, said that the rising trend of periodontal disease among young people can lead to premature tooth loss, impacting patients' chewing function and communication abilities, while also diminishing their quality of life.

Therefore, it is critical to promote a more comprehensive approach to oral care — combining brushing, flossing and the use of mouthwash — to shift the focus of periodontal disease control toward earlier prevention, said Rong.