LION

Promoting Oral Health

100

Over

Years of
Progress

LION

Promoting Oral Health

100

Over

Years of
Progress

Introduction
After over 12 decades since Lion Corporation began in 1891 as
Tomijiro Kobayashi & Co. in Kanda, Tokyo, the mission of thecompany’s founder, Tomijiro Kobayashi, to be in the "business ofmaking people happy" is always in our hearts. While the toothpaste, soap and detergent business has expanded greatly, we tirelessly contribute to society by helping to make people happy.
Particularly alarmed by the rapid increase in dental cavities due
to changing diets, the founder felt compelled to help people live
healthier lives. Beginning in 1913 with instruction on toothbrushing methods, he expanded into a wider range of endeavors,
including promotion of oral hygiene and opening a state-of-the-art
dental clinic. The company’s contributions to society continued to
grow to an unprecedented scale. Today, The Lion Foundation
for Dental Health (Public Interest Incorporated Foundation)2

is a base for the company to continue addressing the challenges of
our times to promote preventive dentistry, extend life expectancy
through dental health, and more.
This book chronicles the history of Lion Corporation's oral
health initiatives, and the ideas of those who worked to help
them succeed. Please read on to learn about this total oral
health care company’s spirit of commitment passed down
through the generations, and its leadership of Japan’s oral
health care movement.

May 2017
The Lion Foundation for Dental Health

Sadayoshi Fujishige, Chairman

3

Table of Contents
Preface

Contributing to society through business— The story of the founding of Lion

. Bad luck and good luck intertwined. Tomijiro Kobayashi & Company is founded. Man shall not live for greed. About 7 billion yen go to charitable institutions throughout Japan. There is life after death

6

Column: Lion's unique promotional activities ①

Chapter1

Next initiatives after charity coupons:
The second stage of social contributions— Activities to promote oral health begin 14. Major dietary changes required better oral hygiene. Everything started from a lecture. Oral health promotion by the Dental Association

Chapter2

Chapter

3

Contributing to the development of dental treatments— Dental treatment activities 20. The dawn of modern dentistry in Japan. A dental clinic for children in Japan. About 540,000 children treated over 12 years. Training Japan's first oral hygiene nurses. Activities by private businesses expand. Preventive dentistry starts ahead of its time
. Creating a world-leading dentistry center. Dental treatment evolves

Protecting children from tooth decay— Promoting oral health among schoolchildren 30. A 96% rate of tooth decay among children

Column: Lion's unique promotional activities ②. 10 years, 20,000 schools, 26 million people. Unique activities to capture the hearts of children. The national government's first oral health promotion. Mass Toothbrushing Drills continued even in wartime. Starting again from burnt ruins. Bringing smiles to a rebuilding city
. The long-awaited revival of The Schoolchildren's Mass Toothbrushing Drills

4Chapter

4

Oral health promotion expands from mothers
and children to workplaces and companies
42. Health fairs gain popularity. Oral health promotion activities arise after the war. Strong and beautiful like dandelions. Workplace dental consultations become popular. New initiatives for a new era

Column: Lion's unique promotional activities ③

Chapter

5

Oral care in the future— The future envisioned by Lion

52

. Expanding into a nationwide movement. Improving quality of life with "Healthy mouth - Beautiful mouth"
School age: Developing important health habits during childhood
Adulthood: Campaign to strengthen awareness of periodontal disease /Periodontal disease can lead to bodily disease /The medical costs of treating periodontal disease
Old age: Aiming to extend life expectancy and health /Maintaining oral health through“Healthy mouth — Beautiful mouth” exercises

Column: The world-renowned Lion Foundation for Dental Health. Proposals for healthy habits at each stage of life
. Another topic: Preventive dentistry. Putting dental hygienists in charge of preventive dentistry. The Schoolchildren's Toothbrushing Tournament expands worldwide. Meeting the challenge of making information barrier-free. Working to extend healthy life expectancy

Column: Taking on the challenges of the next generation―The LDH Symposium
Column: LDH book fosters toothbrushing culture

Supporting the world in the prevention of periodontal disease /Medicinal toothbrushing system
The history of New Year seminars

74
76

5

The founder,
Tomijiro Kobayashi

Preface

Contributing to society
through business– The story of the founding of Lion –Lion's efforts to promote oral health are born of founder Tomijiro Kobayashi's passion
to "serve the world and serve humanity." This chapter introduces the stormy life of
Tomijiro Kobayashi and the roots of Lion's social contributions.
6

The Kobayashi family when it
w a s i n t h e s a k e - b re w i n gbusiness. Tomijiro is in the
middle row, third from the left.

Bad luck andgood luck intertwined
Navigating through turbulent times
Tomijiro Kobayashi, the fourth son of the Kobayashi family, was born in
1852. Although he was a hard worker by nature and blessed with businessacumen, he lived in turbulent times and experienced continuous hardship.
When he was just 20 years old, the Edo shogunate, desperate for militaryfunding, levied a hefty tax that caused the downfall of the family business.
Heading to Tokyo with empty pockets, he threw himself into the soap business, which was new at the time. For a short time, he was a company manbankrupted the firm. After that, while working at the company of an
factory next to the Kitakami River in Miyagi Prefecture. However, in 1890
he lost it all in a flood that also washed away a lot of timber that had beenpurchased to make matchsticks. Worse yet, claims that the timber destroyed
bridges and homes brought him to the brink of throwing himself into theriver, but he suddenly recalled a bible verse that a clergyman had told him
two years earlier: "For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather thanpleasant, but it later yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who

The story of the founding of Lion

acquaintance, and with an eye on the future of the match business, he built a

Prefaceager, but the Meiji government's financial reforms led to a recession thathave been shaped by it." He took the words to heart to gather his strengthfor one more try.
7

Tomijiro Kobayashi & Co.,
the predecessor of theLion Group, in what is now
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 1891.

Tomijiro Kobayashi &Company is founded
Lion Dentifrice goes on sale
After the tragic flood, Tomijiro worked to rebuild the factory, but became
ill with anxiety. Together with his wife, he reluctantly returned to Tokyo.
Then, an old acquaintance learned of Tomijiro's distress and offered assistance enabling him to begin trading in raw materials for soap and othergoods. Even before recovering from his illness, he threw himself into thebusiness, and consequently made many acquaintances. Tomijiro’s abundant
knowledge led to steady sales growth, and eventually, the opening of TomiPreface

jiro Kobayashi & Co. in 1891. Later, while he was searching for ways toexpand the business, tooth powder was introduced to the market. Although

The story of the founding of Lion

there were already several competing products, he thought that if many
more people would try using tooth powder, then the market would expand
many times over. He decided to enter the market, but with no expertise, hefumbled at first. However, after poring through specialized books, learningfrom a clergyman how tooth powders were manufactured overseas, andworking so hard that he often forget to eat and sleep, his first tooth powder
went on sale in 1896. Using German-made ingredients and British-madeflavorings, the product was named Lion Dentifrice after the king of beasts.
Thanks to Tomijiro's tireless marketing efforts and imaginative advertising,sales increased steadily year after year.

8

To m i j i r o K o b a y a s h i &Company's tooth dentifrice
bag with charity coupon
printed on the back went onsale in 1900. A donation
would be made to charity foreach empty bag returned tothe company.

Man shall not live for greed
The Saint of the Abacus
At age 39, Tomijiro had finally found success, but did not get carried away
by it. One clergyman called him "The Saint of the Abacus" in reference tohis passions for business and charitable activities. Warmhearted and easily
moved to tears, Tomijiro was very sympathetic toward unfortunate orphansand elderly people he came in contact with, and donated large sums to charitable institutions such as orphanages.
In 1900, after miraculously surviving a severe case of typhoid fever, Tomiserve society’s well-being." However, his experience as a donor to orphandering whether there was a way to join others of good will in contributing
to society, he recalled a newspaper article about an American company that
had issued charity coupons, and came up with the idea of attaching such
coupons to his own company's products.
This creative use of coupons brought instant fame to Tomijiro Kobayashi& Co. and was the start of Lion's activities to "contribute to society throughbusiness" and promote oral health, which continue to this day.

The story of the founding of Lionages made him acutely aware of one’s limited power to serve society. Won-

Prefacejiro said "I will dedicate the rest of my life to God and humanity, and try to

9The director of Okayama
Orphanage named the newfacility Lion Hall in gratitude
for Tomijiro Kobayashi &Co.’s charitable contributions
that enabled the orphanage
to the point that it wascomprised of 10 buildings.

About 7 billion yen go to charitable
institutions throughout Japan
Bags of Lion Dentifrice with charity coupon go on sale
Quickly expanding the charity coupon concept to medical treatment for
typhoid, Tomijiro released the bag of Lion Dentifrice with charity coupon
including a ¥20 coupon, each priced at today’s equivalent of about ¥600.
Buyers were to send the coupons to any charitable institution of theirchoice, for that institution to receive a donation from Tomijiro Kobayashi &Co. according to the number of coupons received. Inevitably, some of the
coupons would be discarded, but the company still converted uncollected
Preface
The story of the founding of Lion
10

charity coupons into cash for beneficiary institutions throughout Japan.
While the charity coupon scheme was widely praised, some critics claimed
the company’s sale of the bags was self-promoting and that "the quality ofthe product decreased to account for the donations." To counter these perceptions, the company announced that each ¥20 coupon contribution wasoffset by cost savings in product packaging, rather than in the product itself.
For 20 years after their introduction in 1900, the charity coupons fed a hugeamount of donated money – the equivalent of around 7 billion yen today –to institutions countrywide, including orphanages and childcare facilities,
testifying to Tomijiro's altruism.

Many mourners attended
Tomijiro's funeral. These
events appear in Japan's
oldest original negative
movie film, presently stored
at National Museum ofModern Art in Tokyo.

There is life after death
Furthering the founder's aspirations
Tomijiro's philanthropy was not directed solely toward charitable institutions; he also cared deeply about his company's employees. At the time,
many female workers at the factory had only elementary school or
pre-school educations, so he opened a night school so they could study general subjects and sewing before getting married. He also sent young factory
workers to a night school run by the Tokyo Christian Youth Association, tolearn English. Employees were pleased with these arrangements, and supunavoidable.
coupon began, in Yanagihara, Kanda where the company was founded, thebeloved Tomijiro passed away at age 58 in a second-floor tatami room surrounded by his family and 50 employees. The funeral procession was led bya two-horse carriage carrying Tomijiro's coffin. More than 100 wreaths
were sent by charitable institutions around Japan. The column of mourners
was supposedly hundreds of meters long.
Tomijiro's deep spirit of charity lived on in his son, Tomijiro Jr., and em-

The story of the founding of LionIn 1910, 10 years after the sale of bags of Lion Dentifrice with charity

Prefaceposedly no one ever quit Tomijiro Kobayashi & Company, unless it wasployees who carried on and evolved oral health promotion initiatives.
11ue
Lion's uniqs①
al activitie
promotion

Advertising fertilizes product growth● The first advertising song performed in Japan
Referred to as the King of Advertising, Tomijiro was always an innovator at capturing attention and driving a response. In 1896, when Lion Dentifrice went onsale, he put on distinctive parades with Lion Dentifrice banners raised andmarching bands playing popular songs with lyrics altered to advertise the product. Crowds of people, many of which
had never heard a band perform, were
often so dense that it was impossible toproceed at times. Such publicity helped
make Lion Dentifrice popular nationwide.

● Fans buy tooth powder to attend sumo wrestling events
Preface
The story of the founding of Lion
12

In 1900, Tomijiro Kobayashi & Company invited customers who purchased threelarge bags of Lion Dentifrice to watch sumo wrestling for free. This chance to see
popular wrestlers compete brought a rush of sumo fans from near and far to theevent, which drew around 20,000 people
over two days. Such bold, imaginative
promotions effectively drove steady sales
growth at the company.

Looking back on the Preface

A wish for happinessunchanged for over a century
1891, the year Tomijiro Kobayashi Sr. founded the company, was amajor turning point for Japan in becoming a modern nation, andmany Japanese wondered what to do in the new era. Tomijiro forgedhis path out of a passion to serve society through business, withgreat sympathy for the underdogs of the world. This bold spirit
inspired the company to promote oral health and community service
activities, which still continue to thrive over 100 years later.
Preface
The story of the founding of Lion
13

The second generation
Tomijiro Kobayashi

Chapter 1

Next initiatives after
charity coupons:
The second stageof social contributions
Activities to promote oral health begin
Lion's activities to promote oral health, mainly initiated by Tomijiro Jr., continue torealize the vision of the company’s founder. To know how this unprecedented
commitment by business to contribute to society began, consider that era in Japan.
14

A toothpick withbrush-shaped tip forcleaning teeth.

Major dietary changes
required better oral hygiene
From toothpicks to toothbrushes
From ancient times in Japan, it was customary for people to clean theirteeth with toothpicks, etc. Educational books from the 1700s note that, "If
you clean your teeth, you will not lose any, even when you are old." However, after 1854 when Japan's long era of seclusion ended, western culture
quickly entered the country, causing big changes in the Japanese diet.
Dining tables that had in the past typically held cold, hard foods, were now
dental cavities increased rapidly.
The first people to take remedial action were dentists who had studied
phlet on oral hygiene, and another went to schools to provide instruction on
how to prevent dental cavities. However, since dentists then did not enjoy
the social status that dentists enjoy today, they were unable to exert significant influence regarding dental hygiene. In the 1890s after Tomijiro Kobayashi & Co. was established, the use of toothbrushes and tooth powder
increasingly replaced use of toothpicks, but knowledge of oral hygiene waspoor, and each person had his or her own method of brushing, because no

The start of oral health promotion

western medicine. One person translated and published an American pam-

Chapter 1

lined with warm, soft, sweet foods. The number of people suffering from

one in government, public administration or elsewhere was working systematically to disseminate information about oral hygiene.
15

The First Lion Lecture
Meeting, 1913, at Tokyo
YMCA Hall

Everything started from a lecture
The first Lion Lecture Meeting is held
Tomijiro Kobayashi & Co.’s promotion of oral hygiene awareness at thebequest of the late founder began with lectures for loyal users of Lion Dentifrice and distribution of pamphlets explaining toothbrushing methods.
However, the initial results were limited and the lectures seemed to be lesseffective than the charity coupons on bags of tooth powder had been. How
could the company communicate the importance of oral hygiene to more
Chapter 1
The start of oral health promotion
16

people? The company’s commitment to community service and raisingawareness gave rise to Lion Lecture Meetings with prominent people discussing public concerns, as well as lectures on oral hygiene. However, very
few private companies at that time presented such lectures, so some potential attendees warily expected the meetings to be bothersome sales events,
and concern emerged as to whether enough people would attend lectures
about oral hygiene, a subject that people were generally unaware of. Nonetheless, Tomijiro Jr. pushed forward in the belief that "Raising awareness oforal hygiene will lead to better health, especially among children who willlead the next generation."* In 1908, the company name was changed from Tomijiro Kobayashi & Co. to Kobayashi Co., Ltd.

Sosaku Midorikawa was a full-time
lecturer for Lion Lecture Meetings. In
t h o s e d a y s , f e w e x p e r t s p ro v i d e dinstruction about oral hygiene, but Mr.
Midorikawa, who had been teaching that
subject at an elementary school, found akindred spirit in Tomijiro Jr.

Meetings held in China and Taiwan
The lecture meetings were managed by Sosaku Midorikawa, who had left
his dental practice to join Kobayashi, and Tanefumi Inoue, the Lion Lecture
director. To increase attendance, they created a program including features
such as music. The long-awaited first Lion Lecture Meeting successfully
left an impact on the audience that exceeded expectations. This boosted
confidence in the lecture series that totaled 175 lecture meetings nationwide
other documentation. Initially held at public halls and other urban venues
for the general public, the meetings spread throughout elementary, juniorand even overseas to Sakhalin, Taiwan, Korea, and as far as Manchuria. As
Mr. Midorikawa said, "When you toss a pebble into a still pond, the impact
on the water is small, but expands widely. I want to be that pebble."
A total of 109,078 Lion Lecture Meetings promoting oral hygiene wereattended by 57,710,000 people over about 20 years, until 1933, greatly contributing to public health.

The start of oral health promotion

high, and various secondary schools, youth leagues, the military, factories,

Chapter 1

in its first year. Presentation was enhanced at the lectures with photos and17Oral health promotion
by the Dental Association
Thanks to Tomijiro Jr., activities began to take full effectIn addition to Kobayashi, The Japan United Dental Association (now theJapan Dental Association), a nationwide organization of dentists, was also
eager to promote oral hygiene awareness. In the same year as the first Lion
Lecture Meeting, the Association released and widely distributed a "Tooth
Health" booklet through dentists across Japan to students at junior highschools and girls' high schools, teachers at elementary schools, etc., but
Chapter 1

budget limitations prevented the group from sufficiently scaling up its
activities. Consequently, Tomijiro Jr. donated 3000 yen (equivalent to about
60 million yen today) per year to the organization, which used it to start

The start of oral health promotion

full-scale production of samples, models, charts, movies, etc. to spreadknowledge about oral hygiene, and hold expositions and meetings on thesubject throughout Japan.
The large donation amounted to more than twice the Association’s previous yearly budget, as Tomijiro Jr. felt that dentists were critical for spreading awareness about oral hygiene throughout Japan. He continued to makeyearly donations to support the Association's oral health promotion activities. Over seven years, the company’s contributions to the Association
totaled around 10,000 yen (equivalent to about 200 million yen currently).

18

Looking back on Chapter 1

The passion to serve society ispassed on to the next generation.
Nowadays, companies regularly contribute to society, but 100 years
ago such activities were very rare in Japan. A portion of the purchaseprice of Lion Dentifrice with charity coupon went to charity, but theLion Lecture Meetings were free for attendees, as all costs were covered by Kobayashi. The burden of Tomijiro's donations to the Dental
Association and related costs was significant but worthwhile foradvancing the founder's aspirations to share a passion for working to
Chapter 1

improve the human condition.

The start of oral health promotion
19

The Lion Dental Center,
opened in 1927

Chapter 2Contributing to thedevelopmentof dental treatments
Dental treatment activities
In addition to promoting oral hygiene through such initiatives as the Lion Lecture
Meetings, Kobayashi was committed to dental treatment, establishing Japan's firstdental clinic for children, and advancing preventive dentistry.
20

W.C. Eastlake, the first American
dentist to journey to Japan, in 1860.
When the American opened hispractice in Yokohama, Yasube
Hasegawa worked as his assistantbefore becoming a dentist himself.
R e p r i n t e d f ro m " T h e 1 0 0 - Ye a r
History of The Tokyo Dental Association" published by the Tokyo Dental
Association.

The dawn of modern
dentistry in JapanThe latest treatment methods, learned from a foreign dentist
In the 1890s when Tomijiro Kobayashi & Co. began selling Lion Dentifrice, dentistry in Japan was just entering the modern age. Up until thattime, dental care had been provided by practitioners of traditional Chinese
medicine, tooth extraction specialists, people who made dentures, andothers. However, after Japan's seclusion ended in 1854, a number of western dentists came to Japan, opened practices to serve foreign residents (andtices interested in learning western techniques. The Meiji government wasin a hurry to modernize the country, so in 1875 it initiated an exam based on
Obata, who studied under western doctors, became Japan's first dentist, thenumber of dentists grew steadily. By 1903, when the Dainippon Dental Association (now the Japan Dental Association), the first such national organization, was founded, the total number of dentists nationwide had reached394. By 1907, membership had increased rapidly to 1,913 dentists. By then,

Dental treatment activities

western medicine for those seeking to practice medicine. After Einosuke

Chapter 2

later, Japanese) in Yokohama and elsewhere, and took on Japanese appren-dental clinics had been established in most major cities of Japan.

21

The Lion Dental Clinic For
Children opened in the
Ginza district of Tokyo in
1921.

A dental clinic
for children in JapanThe Lion Dental Clinic For Children opens
While dental clinics were opening in various places, Lion initiated its
dental treatment activities by establishing Japan's first specialized dental
clinic for children. Ichitaro Kamiya, the director of Kobayashi at the time,
got the idea after visiting various specialized dental clinics for children in
the U.S.A. He was deeply impressed by institutions such as The Forsythe
Dental Infirmary for Children in Boston and the Rochester Dental DispenChapter 2sary in New York. "I want to establish a similar facility in Japan," hewould say. Some people at the company thought it was premature, but Mr.
Kamiya's enthusiasm led to plans for the Lion Dental Clinic For Children.

Dental treatment activities

However, unexpected objections were raised by the area's dental association, because at the time, many practitioners were experiencing difficulties due to the depression following the First World War, and some were
worried that this new clinic might put even more pressure on their businesses. So Mr. Kamiya, along with Sosaku Midorikawa, who was incharge of the Lion Lecture meetings, persisted in saying that the purposeof the dental clinic was to help society by providing "dental cleaning andcaries prevention for children." Three months later, they were finally able
to open the clinic.

22

The Lion Dental Clinic For Children
opened after the Great Kanto Earthquakeand offered specialized service free ofcharge.

About 540,000 children
treated over 12 years
The first director of The Lion Dental Clinic For Children, Kiyofusa Okamoto, joined Kobayashi at that time, and later was active in promoting dentistry activities at schools. The clinic had three dentists who began treating
patients in 1921. A specialized imported dentist's chair fit the bodies of theyoung patients and the facilities were gradually enhanced, as x-ray andother equipment was introduced, along with additional dental specialists.
When the clinic first opened, it served around 45 patients per day, but a year
dence in the facility grew, and by 1933, 12 years later, the number of children treated had reached the 540,000 mark.

The big earthquake that struck Tokyo on September 1, 1923 also seriously
damaged the Lion Dental Clinic For Children. The devastation was so complete that the clinic's rooftop flag went up in flames, along with the rest of
the building, but the consensus of the staff was that relief efforts should take

Dental treatment activities

Relief activities after The Great Kanto Earthquake

Chapter 2

later it was serving around 120 patients per day. As years passed, confi-

priority over rebuilding the clinic. They quickly formed three dental relief
teams, then set up and operated free dental clinics for the next month at
three locations in the city. These simple, tent-covered clinics provided treatment and reassurance to about 7200 victims of the disaster.
23

Oral hygiene nurses also
played a part at the Lion
Dental Clinic For Children.

Training Japan's
first oral hygiene nurses
Preceding government policy by 20 years
The Lion Dental Clinic For Children provided more than just dental
treatments. It also served as a new base for a broad range of oral healthpromotion activities, including guidance for school teaching staff, traveling clinics, and the Lion Children's Rally. Moreover, Japan's first oral hygiene nurses, the predecessors of present-day dental hygienists, weretrained there. In the U.S.A. at that time, oral hygiene nurses were effecChapter 2
Dental treatment activities
24

tively "associate dentists." Anticipating the need for such workers inJapan, the clinic started a training course with specialized classes on anatomy, pathology, and nursing science. From 1922 to 1938, the facility sent
29 oral hygiene nurses out into the world, long before the national government began training dental hygienists in 1949.
The great actress Yasue Yamamoto managed to work
as a Lion oral hygiene nurse between acting rehearsals.
In 1922, she was a member of the Modern Drama Actress Training
School, supervised by second-generation kabuki actor Sadanji
Ichikawa. She went on to receive the Minister of Education Awardfor her performance in the drama "Yuzuru" and achieved great success as a stage actress.

The treatment room at the
Nakayama Taiyodo Oral Hygiene
Research Center in Osaka.
Reprinted from "Club Cosmetics
100-Year History - Many Flowers
Blooming" published by Club
Cosmetics Co., Ltd.

Activities by private
businesses expand
Oral health promotion activities by Club Cosmetics
The vigorous oral health promotion activities had also spread among
other toothpaste makers. In particular, Nakayama Taiyodo (now Club Cosmetics Co., Ltd.), makers of Club Toothpaste, established the Oral Hygiene
Research Center inside the Nakayama Cultural Research Center in 1923.
Members of this organization focused mainly on encouraging children tobrush their teeth, but also operated traveling dental clinics that visitedbases, etc. to lecture and screen films on oral hygiene. In 1927, the Club
Mobile Dental Treatment Team started touring schools around the country
do also opened a dental clinic in Osaka, where the company’s headquarters
were, for training women who wanted to work in or learn more about oral
hygiene, dental care and dentistry. This comprehensive facility was
equipped for dental preservation, oral surgery, child dentistry and x-ray
work. Although the Nakayama Cultural Research Center closed in 1954, it

Dental treatment activities

in a vehicle equipped with dental treatment instruments. Nakayama Taiyo-

Chapter 2schools around Japan, and visited company offices, factories, military

made its mark on the history of oral health promotion in Japan.

25

The Lion Dental Clinic For
Children in 1927, after relocating
to Yotsuya.

Preventive dentistry starts
ahead of its time
The Lion Dental Center opens
After the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1927, the Lion Dental Clinic For
Children relocated to Yotsuya Mitsuke, Yotsuya-ku. With better facilities
and more equipment than were originally imaginable, such as treatment,
filling, orthodontics and x-ray departments, this medical care system wascapable of covering all children's dental care needs. In addition, the Lion
Dental Center established an educational agency at the clinic to promote
Chapter 2awareness of oral hygiene even more. Efforts focused on promoting mouthcleaning and tartar removal to prevent periodontal disease. This was the
beginning of preventive dentistry, currently a major trend, and the precursor

Dental treatment activities

to the Grand Tokyo Oral Health Care Station that opened at Tokyo Stationin 2013.

The founding of theLion Dental Hygiene Research Institute
The Lion Dental Clinic For Children was forced to shut down during theSecond World War, due to lack of materials. The Lion Foundation for
Dental Health founded in 1964 resumed the role of the clinic.

26

The Lion Family Dental Clinic,
located inside the Shinjuku Keio
Department StoreCreating a world-leading
dentistry center
The non-profit Lion Foundation for Dental Health consists of a department that provides health guidance to various organizations, and anotherdepartment that provides specialized medical care and counseling for children. Among its activities, the Center opened the Lion Family Dental
Clinic in Shinjuku Keio Department Store in 1964. With a full staff including 15 dentists and 15 dental hygienists, as well as 10 state-of-the-art
examination tables, this clinic thrived so well and so quickly that everyone
Among visitors to the clinic department was an elderly man wanderingin using a back scratcher. He had received treatment at the first Lion
deeply rooted Lion's original childrens’ dental clinic concept had becomein society.
At the time, only four facilities in the world, including the Lion Family
Dental Clinic, undertook research and also provided prevention care anddental treatment. In 1966, the Lion Family Dental Clinic in Nagoya

Dental treatment activities

Dental Clinic For Children founded in 1921. Such scenes showed how

Chapter 2

who worked there was overjoyed at its success.

became the fifth. Lion's dental clinic organization was a leading establishment, not only in Japan, but worldwide.

27

Tokyo Dental Clinic customizes
leading-edge treatments forpatients.

Dental treatment evolves
Improving dental professionals’ qualifications
Lion's dental treatment-related activities continued to evolve. In 1971, theOsaka Lion Family Corner specializing in caries prevention among children
opened on the first floor of what is now the Lion Co., Ltd. Osaka office.
The clinic provides a full range of treatments, and has grown into the Osaka
Oral Health Station serving everyone from children to the elderly.
The Lion Family Dental Clinic, after relocating from Shinjuku Keio
Chapter 2

Department Store to Meguro, then moved to Gotanda district in 2014 andwas renamed the Tokyo Dental Clinic.
The clinic is fully equipped with the latest facilities, such as wheelchair-

Dental treatment activities

accessible care rooms and monitoring rooms, where blood pressure, electrocardiograms, etc. can be monitored during treatment. The facility has also
initiated risk control dentistry for measuring patients’ risk levels for cavities
and periodontal disease, and providing individualized treatments and prevention. The clinic also regularly holds seminars for dental professionals, helping them improve their qualifications, upgrade their technology and continue
to meet the challenges of the evolving dental care field.

28

Looking back on Chapter 2

Lion protects oral healthCorporations very rarely contribute to society in ways that reachbeyond their business, even in fields as far-reaching as the medical
field. Lion, however, has been doing just that for around 100 years,
having established Japan's first specialized dental clinic for children.
By matching the high commitment of earlier company members toserve human well-being, as well as the great courage to meet the challenges of the unknown, the company leads the way in evolving dental
Chapter 2

care in Japan, supporting the oral and overall health of many people.

Dental treatment activities
29

This pamphlet bychildren's illustrator
Teiji Kawame urges
children to "Brush
your teeth in themorning and before
bedtime."

Chapter 3

Protecting children
from tooth decay– Promoting oral health among schoolchildren

The dental treatment activities introduced in Chapter 2 and those promoting oral
health among schoolchildren began at around the same time. Let's look at various
activities throughout Japan to instill proper brushing habits among children, focusing
30

on the Mass Toothbrushing Drill For Children.

This training event forelementary school teaching
staff had capacity to intensively train 200 people overfour days.

A 96% rate of tooth decay
among children
Training events for elementary school teaching staff
After 1860, children were the people in Japan most affected by changes ineating habits including higher consumption of warm, soft, sweet foods. By
1910, 96% of Japanese children had cavities, indicative of the spread ofsevere tooth decay. "At this rate, the country will perish from dental cavities." The urgent crisis led Kobayashi to pour its energy into promoting oral
health for children.
1913, to all elementary schools across the country, making it easier for children to understand the importance of brushing their teeth. Recognizing thehygiene workshops in Tokyo for elementary school teachers from around
Japan beginning in 1918. In order to encourage participation from all
regions, Kobayashi made the extraordinary offer to pay for half of participants' travel costs to Tokyo. As a result, there were always large numbers ofteaching staff participating. The workshops were held annually until theircancellation due to the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, and they had a big
impact on the subsequent development of school dentistry.

Promoting oral health among schoolchildren

importance of training educators as well, the company presented oral

Chapter 3

First, the company expanded the Lion Lecture Meetings, which started in31

ue
Lion's uniqs②
al activitie
promotion

Promoting fun toothbrushinghabits among children● Lion Children's Toothpaste attracts children with colorful prizes
At the time, highly effective toothpastes were available only to adults, so
Kobayashi formulated an effective agent for infants' growing teeth and developed
Lion Children's Toothpaste, with colors and flavors that appealed to children.
Chapter 3

Designed to encourage children to enjoy developing the toothbrushing habit, thePromoting oral health among schoolchildren

Kaburagi*¹, a master of Japanese painting, and Takeo Takei*², a prolific illustrator

32

product included prizes such as picture books and bookmarks with each purchase. For the products, the company commissioned artwork from Kiyokata
of children's magazines, etc. Not only did they raise awareness about toothbrushing; they also helped to educate children and develop them emotionally.

*¹ Kiyokata Kaburagi (1878-1972)

This master of modern Japanese painting, famous for his portraits of beautiful women, wasawarded the Order Of Culture in 1954.

*² Takeo Takei (1894-1983)

In "paintings that touch the hearts of children," he created a unique view of the world with a stylethat skillfully represented what was on a child's mind.

A Taisho-era Toothbrushing
Drill, modeled on those in the
U.S.A. in the 1910s.

10 years, 20,000 schools,
26 million people
Toothbrushing Drills provided instruction on
correct brushing methods.
Toothbrushing Drills that began in 1922 were based on the idea that practice is the best way to teach children how to brush their teeth properly. As
the name implies, the drills were conducted like calisthenics. All the children at an elementary school would stand together, toothbrushes in hand,and follow commands to practice brushing their teeth. At the time, there
moving the brush vertically up and down was taught. From 1925, the drills
were renamed National School Toothbrushing Drills and expanded nationous regions leading up to 1935, the drills were carried out at around 20,000
elementary schools, and the participation of children reached 26 million.
From the elementary schools came such comments as "Children beganbrushing their teeth voluntarily," "Children developed good personal
hygiene in general, even beyond the habit of toothbrushing," and "We used
these drills to justify installation of sinks in school where the children canbrush their teeth." Such reactions testify to the drills’ effectiveness at improving children's oral hygiene.

Promoting oral health among schoolchildren

wide, becoming a regular activity. In 10 years of intensive activity in vari-

Chapter 3

was no standard method for brushing teeth, so the correct method of33

T h e To o t h b r u s h i n g
Drills helped develop
the brushing habit
from a young age.

Unique activities to capture
the hearts of children
The Lion Toothpaste Children's Theater Company
From the Taisho era through the early Showa era, Kobayashi developed
unique projects to help children understand the importance of brushing
their teeth, and implemented a variety of educational activities around thecountry.
The Lion Toothpaste Children's Theater Company formed in 1924 performed creative plays about the importance of oral hygiene and caries preChapter 3
Promoting oral health among schoolchildren
34

vention including "The Story of Tooth Land" and "The Lion Dental
Revue." After opening at the Tennoji Public Hall in Osaka, the group gavedozens of performances across the country, beginning with Tokyo.

Public recognition of people with healthy teeth
The company also held oral examination events for elementary school
children in the Kansai district. 1,500 children were presented with awards
for having excellent teeth. These activities attracted such great interest
among officials that Tokyo and then other cities around Japan began tohold similar events, organized mainly by dentists.

The First Schoolchildren's
Mass Toothbrushing Drill
was held in 1932 at Hibiya
Park Music Hall.

The national government's
first oral health promotion
Dental Health Day and dental treatment at schools
While Kobayashi Co. and others were increasing their activities to promoteoral health, the government started its own initiatives in 1920. The Ministryof Home Affairs opened the Children's Health Exposition in Tokyo, addressing the three major diseases of the time: tuberculosis, trachoma, and tooth
decay. November 5 was thereby designated as Dental Health Day and a campaign was launched to promote cavity prevention. Kobayashi and the Dental
ing leaflets as part of grassroots activities. The government also issued the
School Dentist Ordinance recommending that each school hire a school denThe national government and public administrations had finally begun totake initiatives in the push for better oral health.
Later, Dental Health Day became June 4, sponsored by the Japan Dental
Association with support from the Department of the Interior and the Ministry of Education. Regional administrative organizations also provided support that grew steadily each year. Accordingly, the support of Kobayashi
grew, helping to make Dental Health Day a major event. In 1932, the company gave the movement even more momentum by presenting the First
Schoolchildren's Mass Toothbrushing Drill in Tokyo and Osaka.

Promoting oral health among schoolchildren

tist to teach the children about cavity prevention and dental maintenance.

Chapter 3

Association also supported this campaign by carrying out PR and distribut-

35

Even in wartime, 10,000 children
gathered at Korakuen Stadium,
Tokyo for the Ninth Schoolchildren's Mass Toothbrushing Drills.

Mass Toothbrushing Drills
continued even in wartime
For the First Schoolchildren's Mass Toothbrushing Drills, around 10,000
children from 30 schools participated in front of the Hibiya Park MusicHall in Tokyo. In Osaka, approximately 15,000 children from 40 schools
participated at Tennoji Park. The spectacle of the children, toothbrushes inhand, following instructions and brushing their teeth in unison, had thepower of a large-scale sporting event, and the drills were hugely successful. Even when the world became engulfed in the Sino-Japanese war, theChapter 3
Promoting oral health among schoolchildren
36Children's Mass Toothbrushing Drills continued each year, as in 1937, thesixth year of the event, when the oral hygiene division of Kobayashi,
along with school dentists and teaching staff, began preparing months inadvance to mark the tenth annual Dental Health Day. On June 5, 1937, theevent in Tokyo's Sumida Park attracted 8,000 children.
Also, 1940, the year before the outbreak of the Pacific War, overlappedwith the 50th anniversary of the founding of Kobayashi Co. Ltd., so thedrills were held in Nagoya, Shizuoka, Kanazawa, and Kuwana City, in
addition to Tokyo. 10,000 schoolchildren participated in the Tokyo event
at Korakuen Stadium. However, with the war situation worsening forJapan, the toothbrushing drills were suspended for the next 12 years until
the postwar turmoil subsided.

The head office and Tokyo
factory were destroyed byfire due to aerial bombing.
The month after the war
ended, 50 new people were
hired and rebuilding began.

Starting again from burnt ruins
Dental hygiene measures from GHQ
On August 15, 1945, the long, disastrous war finally came to its end, after
scarring Japan and other Asian countries. By that time, Kobayashi Co. Ltd.
had lost the head office and various other offices around the country, as
well as many overseas bases. President Kiichi Kobayashi wanted to restore
the company to its previous condition as soon as possible by welcomingback his employees, then attempting to restart while restricted by the reguWhile indirectly ruling Japan, GHQ made efforts to improve Japan's sanitary conditions deteriorated by war, and thereby directed measures to
response, in 1946 the Ministry of Education organized tours by dentists
and nurses to schools in each prefecture. This campaign to examine every
child at every school was one of the largest public health initiatives ever inJapan. Very few school dental examinations had occurred during the war,so this initiative under the direction of GHQ revived Japan's oral healthpromotion activities. During these examinations, topical application of fluoride, a new practice introduced from the United States, was carried out.
This played a major role in Japan’s adoption of fluoride.

Promoting oral health among schoolchildren

counter cholera and typhus, and promote dental hygiene for children. In

Chapter 3

lations of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (GHQ).

37

The mobile zoo operated
from 1950-51.

Bringing smiles toa rebuilding city
Taking oral health promotion activities to recreation sites
In 1949, three years after the end of the war, Kobayashi Co., Ltd. envisioned the path to recovery and changed its name to Lion Dentifrice Co.,
Ltd. In this new era, the company was committed to renewing internal andexternal growth, and resumed its mission to promote oral health.
Although life had stabilized, there were few facilities for amusement andculture. As Cultural Division Director Yoshio Mukai (who became theChapter 3
Promoting oral health among schoolchildren
38

full-time head of oral health activities) said, "I want to carry out oral healthactivities that create a life-enriching cultural oasis." For his purposes, hesuccessfully expanded oral health promotions to include events involving
movies, concerts, traveling zoos, and children's Sunday school, as well as
lecture meetings. The mobile zoo was made up of five colorfully decorated
trucks, with a lion, a puma, leopard, bear, monkeys, and birds. It toured all
around Japan. The entertaining show captivated audiences with monkey
acrobatics, fairy tale readings, singing shows, evening movie screenings
and other activities to raise oral hygiene awareness. In addition, the children's Sunday school held lectures by celebrities, movie screenings, etc.,with the support and cooperation of local school boards. These were so popular that parents would attend along with their children.

Enthusiastically welcomedby children in an era without
television.

The introduction of the Lion Health Car, a mobile clinic
In April 1952, the Lion Health Car, a symbol of the company's postwar
oral health activities, was introduced in a ceremony to the cheers andapplause of employees at Lion’s Tokyo factory. The truck was designed tolook like a tube of Lion Toothpaste, and attached to the roof was an animal
doll brushing its teeth. The interior was large, at 8.3m long, 2.45m wide,and 3.1m high. Inside, in addition to panels and a projector for displaying
ments. The Lion Health Car became widely popular as it regularly visited
two elementary or junior high schools each day, providing for lectures,
sales. It kept to a tough schedule up until nighttime, when it was often used
for outdoor projection gatherings in public parks. Although the staff wereso busy that they often had to eat their lunch in the truck as it traveled
bumpy roads, one witness said "the reason we didn't feel it was such ahardship was because of the tremendous welcome we received at the elementary and junior high schools, as well as shops we visited." A total ofthree Lion Health Cars were produced, and they toured throughout Japan.

Promoting oral health among schoolchildren

treatments, as well as film screenings, and trips to shops to help promote

Chapter 3

oral health information, was everything required for children's dental treat-

39

The revived Schoolchildren's Mass
Toothbrushing Training, held at the
Gaien Stadium, predecessor totoday’s National Stadium. The
name was changed at the direction of GHQ to use "Training"
instead of the military term "Drills".

The long-awaited revivalof The Schoolchildren's
Mass Toothbrushing Drills
The Tenth Schoolchildren's Mass Toothbrushing Training
The Lion Dentifrice Co., Ltd. Schoolchildren's Mass Toothbrushing Drills,
which had not been held since they were suspended in 1941 due to the war,
were finally revived in 1953. A loud fanfare signaled the spectacular
entrance of 12,000 children marching into Yoyogi's Gaien Stadium, and thestands were filled with about 20,000 more children. Then they all participated in toothbrushing training, brushing in time to a live orchestra, recalling
Chapter 3
Promoting oral health among schoolchildren
40

scenes from 13 years before. The "recreation" portion of the program that
followed the toothbrushing exercises began with a performance by the
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Brass Band, and showcased a flightdemonstration by a helicopter from the U.S. Far East Air Force. At a time
when entertainment was lacking, it was a memorable event for children.
Thereafter, the Schoolchildren's Mass Toothbrushing Training adapted tochanging times, and now continues as the annual Schoolchildren's Toothbrushing Tournament.
About 100 years ago, the dental caries rate among children in Japanexceeded 96%. In 2014, the average 12-year-old had just one caries, a significant decrease. Lion's activities promoting oral health, focusing on the
Schoolchildren's Toothbrushing Tournament, certainly contributed to thisprogress.

Looking back on Chapter 3

A pleasant life starts withgood everyday habits
The oral health activity of highest priority was to promote proper
toothbrushing habits, as developing good habits from a young age
was considered to be important for future health.
Good daily habits, including toothbrushing, leads to a healthy,
pleasant life, and proposing and establishing such habits are importinstill toothbrushing habits in children, it will continue to work hard
every day to make lifestyles healthier and more comfortable for

Promoting oral health among schoolchildren

people around the world.

Chapter 3

ant to Lion’s mission. Just as the company applied ingenuity to

41

A view of the Industry
Dental Prevention
Management Activities Inaugural Meeting(see page 47).

This pamphlet bychildren's illustrator
Teiji Kawame urges
children to "Brush
your teeth in themorning and before
bedtime."

Chapter 4

Oral health promotion
expands from mothers
and children to
workplaces and companies
From the start of the 1920s, oral health activities began with a focus on children,then expanded to mothers, then to working women, and finally to adults in general,in various ways and places.
42A health fair in Kyoto (right)
and the attention-getting
mechanized anatomical
model (left).

Health fairs gain popularity
A novel idea surprises people
Oral health initiatives targeting housewives and women in general started
in earnest in the 1920s when the Schoolchildren's Mass Toothbrushing
Drills expanded nationwide. In those days, health expositions featuring
photos and specimens with information on disease and health were widely
popular, so Kobayashi Co. organized a unique exhibition after careful consideration of what would attract attention. In 1927, an Exhibition of
from ancient medical books and literature to legends, superstitions, and customs throughout history at the Maru Bldg. in Tokyo. The difficulty of gathwas rewarded with the show’s great success, as the number of visitors,
including showings in Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto, reached 100,000 people. In
1929, an Exhibition for Mothers and Children featuring oral hygiene information that mothers and children should know employed an electric-powered mechanized anatomical model that cost the then-enormous sum of several thousand yen and clearly explained functions of internal organs. It wasvery well received and later exhibited throughout Japan.

Promoting oral health among adults

ering this expensive, culturally valuable material from around the country

Chapter 4

Teeth-related Practices presented documents and drawings related to teeth,43A poster for The First
Mother and Child Good
Teeth Contest (right),
and first-place winners
Masako Takamatsu and
Hideo (left).

Oral health promotion
activities arise after the war
The Mother and Child Good Teeth Contest
After the war, oral health initiatives boomed again because of GHQ's publichealth policies including new oral health initiatives targeting mothers andchildren. With 1949 revisions to the Child Welfare Act, the first infant dental
checks were carried out, and the idea that "In order to keep a child's teeth
healthy, the mother's understanding is essential" was gaining momentum.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Health and Welfare*¹ and the Japan Dental AsChapter 4sociation began to hold Mother and Child Good Teeth Contests beginning in
1952. Lion Dentifrice Co., Ltd. co-sponsored the contests as part of its oral
health activities.

Promoting oral health among adults

For the Mother and Child Good Teeth Contest, local dental associations
selected mothers and children with the best teeth, and after regional selection
meetings, the final winners were decided. For the second contest in 1953,
which expanded to cover the entire country, the Minister of Health and Welfare*² joined the awards ceremony. Afterwards, a grand party was held at theTokyo Metropolitan Hibiya Public Hall. There, first place winners talked
about their childcare experiences, celebrities lectured, a game contest was
held, a film was screened, and the hall full of Tokyo high school girls andrepresentatives of various women's organizations filled with laughter.
*¹ Now the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. *² Now the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare.

44

The Lion Dental Beauty Salon in
Yuigahama (right) was elaborately designed. At Hamadera
Beach, a popular toothbrushingoral hygiene station was set up
under the Super Lion Tower (left).

A dental center appears on the beach
In 1953, television broadcasts and a period of rapid economic growth began.
To improve oral health initiatives, Lion Dentifrice Co., Ltd. promoted culture
division personnel in charge to augment the oral hygiene division. The former
Internal Affairs Department was added to the Dental Hygiene Department tocreate the new Culture and Education Department, which systematically carriedout a wide range of activities related to oral hygiene, from public relations andstrongly supported by the tailwind of a booming economy.
Of particular note is the Lion Dental Beauty Salon, a summer dental center
the facility’s dental checkups and teeth cleaning services for sunbathers were sowell received that in the following year, they became regular summer events
organized by the Japan Dental Association and sponsored by Lion Co., Ltd. and
the Kanagawa Dental Association. The free toothbrushing oral hygiene station
was particularly popular, and according to records from 1957, an average of
2,580 people used it each day, and the total number of users that year reached
75,000. Also, a summer-only health center was opened at Osaka's Hamadera

Promoting oral health among adults

that opened in Yuigahama, Kamakura in 1953. It is difficult to envision now, but

Chapter 4

educational activities to clinical guidance. The department’s new projects werebeach, one of the biggest resorts in Kansai. A huge tower constructed on thebeach in the shape of a Super Lion tube became a big topic of conversation.
45

Touring instructors visiting a
housing estate. The Dandelion
Tr u c k s c o n s i s t e d o f t w ohygiene instruction trucks anda power supply truck, called
the Flower Truck, Sky Truck,
and Fruit Truck, respectively.

Strong and beautiful
like dandelions
Mother and child dental health initiatives
began with the Dandelion Movement
Further into the 1950s and 1960s, dental health activities related to mothers
and children as well as industrial workers began to sprout up one after the other,and still continue to be pillars of Lion's oral health activities. First, in 1959,
Lion's mother and child dental health initiatives started in earnest with the Dandelion Movement. The name was chosen to reflect Lion's strong desire for
Chapter 4

everyone to maintain healthy teeth that were beautiful and strong, like dandelions, and to spread the movement nationwide, like fluffy dandelion seeds blown
on the wind. In places such as municipal health centers and housing estates,

Promoting oral health among adults

members of the movement provided toothbrushing guidance for parents andchildren, dental checkups, and fluoride treatments. Then in 1974, the movement
introduced a large oral hygiene promotion vehicle called the Dandelion Truck.
Capable of providing instruction to up to 750 groups of mothers and children
per day, this truck enabled the movement to scale up activities instantly. At
housing estates in Tokyo, most households with children boarded the Dandelion
Truck, and it contributed greatly to the dental health of countless people.
In 1986, after 12 years of activity, the Dandelion Truck was replaced by theDream Truck featuring state-of-the-art equipment that made the group's activities even more effective.

46

The Cherry Movement aims
for people to be burstingwith good health, like ripecherries.

Workplace dental
consultations become popular
The Cherry Movement supports working women
In 1961, following the Dandelion Movement, the Cherry Movement began
as Japan's first initiative to promote oral health at workplaces. It targeted all
working people, but was particularly aimed at improving early awareness oforal hygiene among young women who were able to become mothers. Activities began at the Osaka branch, with movement members touring the workplaces of Kansai Electric Power Co., Ltd. to provide examinations, dental
even more popular than expected, with about 130 patients being examined
per day per location, for a total of 1,040 patients treated daily at eight differbeginning with Mitsui Bank. Because of overwhelmingly positive reaction
from companies and employees, the Industry Preventive Dentistry Management Group was formed, joining companies (among 1,055 participatingcompanies) that were particularly enthusiastic about oral hygiene. Efforts toimprove the organization and its programs further expanded the Cherry
Movement to workplaces in regions nationwide, leading to the Industry Preventive Dentistry Management initiative which continues to enhance thePromoting oral health among adults

ent locations. The activities expanded to Nagoya, with tours of companies

Chapter 4

consultations, scaling (removing tartar), etc. These activities proved to bedental health of working people.
47

The Lion Family Dental Clinic set up
by LDC in Shinjuku Keio Department
Store experimented with new ways
to relieve patients' anxiety, such asby having practitioners wrap theirarms around patients from behindwhile treating them.

New initiatives for a new era
Activities unified at the Lion Dental Center
Up until that time, the oral hygiene portion of Lion's oral health activities had been carried out in cooperation with the Lion Dental Center(LDC) founded in 1964. But in 1984, the oral hygiene division was integrated into the Lion Dental Center to streamline operations. From then on,
the Lion Dental Center has been in charge of all activities, strengthening
its commitment to public service.
Chapter 4
Promoting oral health among adults
48

In 1994, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of its founding, the Lion
Dental Center changed its name to The Lion Foundation For Dental
Health (abbreviated as LDH). Prominent scholars from Japan and abroadwere invited to the 30th Anniversary Seminar, which was held November
26-27 at Tokyo Dental College Chiwaki Memorial Hall. Over 400 dentists
who attended heard and made impassioned speeches, and engaged inquestion-and-answer sessions based on the theme of “The 8020 Campaign, A New Challenge Against Dental Cavities and Periodontal Disease." Also, a memorial reception was held at the Okura Hotel on the firstday of the event, bringing together more than 200 people together.

The First Lion New Year
Seminar. Thereafter, it washeld every January, and the24th annual event took
place in 2015.

From direct instruction to instructor training
Entering the 1990s, in addition to long-running general educational activities such as the Children's Mass Toothbrushing Training and the Dandelion Movement, the Lion Foundation for Dental Health embarked on a new
mission: Oral Health Instructor Training.
The first installment of this was the Lion New Year Seminar, an event
thereafter held each January beginning in 1992. The seminar aims to imknowledge and skills required by dental hygienists, along with the latest
information on oral health. The Japan Dental Hygienists' Association took
conducts the Special Research Seminar of the Japan Dental Hygienists' Association Third Lifetime Training System.
Also, in 1993, a veteran dental hygienist from the Lion Foundation for
Dental Health started the Nadeshiko Project which holds lectures for school
officials and others involved in dental health. This initiative contributes tooral health by providing lectures around Japan such as "The 8020 Campaign," "Chewing and Prevention of Lifestyle-related Diseases, " and "Life

Promoting oral health among adults

over the event from the Japan Dental Association starting from 1997 andChapter 4

prove the skills of dental hygienists, providing detailed introductions toSkills Education."49

ue
Lion's uniqs③
al activitie
promotion

A ticket for a performance by The Beatles at the Budokan. The namesof the sponsors, Lion Dentifrice and Lion Fat & Oil, appear on the ticket.

The Advertising King
pedigree rules the TV age● From The Beatles to Lion Housewives Theater
Since the founding of Tomijiro Kobayashi & Co., Lion has always made effective
use of the best media of the times, and this ability was apparent at the dawn of
the television age in the late 1950s.
Chapter 4
Promoting oral health among adults
50

In particular, what drew the industry’s attention was joint advertising. Lion Dentifrice Co., Ltd. and Lion Fat & Oil Co., Ltd. jointly sponsored television programs
as All Lion. This unprecedented experiment was not acceptable to all at first, but
after intense negotiations, a one-hour drama series called "Outlaw" was broadcast nationally in 1962. Then, various popular, highly-rated shows were broadcast, including "The Untouchables", "The Fugitive", "The Wednesday Night
Game", and "Lion Housewife Theater". The 1966 Japan concert by the Beatles
was also sponsored exclusively by Lion Dentifrice and Lion Oil & Soap. Not only
did the concert at the Budokan have a huge impact — the TV broadcast of it thefollowing day achieved 56.5% viewership (according to research of Kanto region
TV viewing), a record that still stands in Japanese television history. Such boldinitiatives achieved great advertising results.

Looking back on Chapter 4

Practice the spirit of love
Oral health activities aimed at adults that began in the early Showaera (1926-1989) were full of imagination and originality. In addition
to the Oral Hygiene Expo, and Dental Beauty Salons at beaches, allsorts of different projects were carried out in succession, including thefull-color educational film, The Stars are Watching, the theatrical presentation Mother and Child Christmas Party, and the creation of theOral Hygiene Calendar for dental clinics. These manifestations of
the spirit of love" — the company's founding motto.

Chapter 4

Lion's passion for improving people's health perfectly match "Practice

Promoting oral health among adults
51

Chapter 5

Oral care in the future– The future envisioned by Lion

In a social environment that has changed dramatically, with declining birthrates and a
rapidly aging population, what oral health activities should exist in the future? In
Chapter 5, the final chapter, we turn our gaze from the past to the future, and intro52

duce Lion's blueprint for oral health promotion over the next century.

Expanding into a nationwide
movement
Promoting oral health as a national project
Lion’s continuous work on oral health since 1913 has led to an era in which
oral health is a government-supported project. In 1989, the Ministry of Healthand Welfare proposed the 8020 Campaign, aimed at having 80-year-olds
retain at least 20 of their teeth. Also, Healthy Japan 21, a movement to promote the health of citizens in the 21st century, started in the year 2000. The
underlying Health Promotion Law framework specifies maintenance ofLabour and Welfare aimed to further promote the 8020 Campaign with thephrase "Chewing 30" to encourage people to chew their food at least 30
Dental Health Law, which the Japan Dental Association has hoped for years
would be enacted, finally was enacted in 2011. The purpose of this law is "tocomprehensively promote measures to maintain oral health by preventing
dental diseases, etc., because oral health plays an important role in physicaland mental health." This basic law is significant, as it clarifies the national
government’s responsibility for the dental health of Japan's people.

The future envisioned by Liontimes. To increase public awareness of the importance of healthier living, theChapter 5

healthy teeth among its major goals. What's more, the Ministry of Health,53

Improving quality of life with
"Healthy mouth - Beautiful mouth"
Good health begins with a healthy mouth
In 2010, as the national government and public administrations were intensifying their oral health activities, The Lion Foundation for Dental Health received
certification as a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation and has eagerly
assumed its new social responsibility to contribute even more to dental health. In
particular, the aging of Japanese society is an urgent issue, but even now only
about 40% of 80-year-olds still have 20 or more of their teeth. Improving this
Chapter 5

situation will require not only conventional cavity prevention, but also initiatives
to maintain a healthy mouth throughout one's lifetime. As the relationshipbetween periodontal disease and overall health has become clear, dental health

The future envisioned by Lion

has also become an essential issue in efforts to extend healthy life expectancy.
Therefore, Lion introduced the concepts "A healthy mouth beautifies the
body and mind" and "Healthy mouth - Beautiful mouth", and also developed
campaigns such as "Eat, Talk, Smile" to raise awareness of the essential role oforal care in everyday life. By giving sound guidance on proper maintenance oforal health, oral beauty and communication, we strive to promote better physical and mental health, in order to extend life expectancy and improve qualityof life. By calibrating steps to adapt to each stage of life, as described on page56, these activities address the challenges of achieving health and prosperity associety ages.

54

A healthy mouth beautiﬁes the body and mind

Extending healthy life
expectancy

Improving QOL (quality of life)
Promotinghealthy bodies

Promotinghealthy minds

Eat

Talk & Laugh
Chapter 5

Oral Health
Oral Beauty
Communication

The future envisioned by Lion

Healthy mouth ̶ Beautiful mouth

55

Activities for each stage of life — School age

Teaching at a diet education
event in Sumida-ku, Tokyo.
Instilling healthy habitsduring childhood leads tobetter lifelong health.

Developing important
health habits during childhood
Oral health activities for children
In our activities for children, in addition to the Children's Mass Toothbrushing Tournament, we put our energies into developing healthy habits ineveryday life. Various activities for schoolchildren have led to a reduction incaries, so that in the year 2014 the average 12-year-old schoolchild has had
an average of just one cavity. However, in spite of this, perhaps because
toothbrushing habits have not been properly established, there is a growing

Chapter 5

trend toward cavities and periodontal disease during and after adolescence.
Because the health habits formed in childhood significantly affect maintenance and improvement of subsequent health, we need to further increase

The future envisioned by Lion

awareness to establish good health habits. Specifically, we are aggressively
expanding activities such as instruction on toothbrushing at local community
events and extracurricular activities aimed at kindergartens, elementary
schoolchildren and mothers.
Since 2012, we have also conducted surveys in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, in cooperation with the municipal board of education, school nurses
and school dentists, to investigate toothbrushing habits of elementary andjunior high school students, and gauge parental awareness. The aim, besides
using the results to establish good health habits, is to "develop a healthy
community, beginning with children's oral health" across the entire region.

56

Causes of lost teeth

Other

25.8%

Periodontal
disease41.8%
Caries32.4%

Campaign to strengthen awarenessof periodontal disease

Activities for each stage of life — Adulthood

Few people notice periodontal
disease because it causes nopain, but it is a serious illness that
leads to loss of teeth. From the8020 Promotion Foundation's"Investigation Into the Removal of
Permanent Teeth."

Oral health initiatives for adults
The biggest topic related to adults is combatting periodontal disease.
Proper care at this stage is important, both in regard to the goals of the8020 Campaign, and in its connection to future health.
Periodontal disease occurs when periodontal bacteria, etc. multiply inspaces between the teeth and gums (periodontal pockets), or in accumulated
plaque. It is a terrible illness and the number one cause of tooth loss. In
lifestyle habits is a key to preventing periodontal disease. Smoking, accumulated fatigue, lack of sleep, and stress can reduce the body's resistancein particular increases the likelihood that periodontal disease will progress,
because it creates an environment inside the mouth that is conducive to thegrowth of periodontal bacteria, and nicotine suppresses the capillaries' ability to protect the body. In many cases, the disease becomes quite severe
before it is even noticed. Furthermore, reduced immunity due to stress canexacerbate periodontal disease and make healing difficult. In oral health ini-

The future envisioned by Lionand are major factors that increase the risk of periodontal disease. Smoking

Chapter 5

addition to daily care with a toothbrush and inter-dental brush, improving

tiatives for adults, it is essential that educational activities such as these be
carried out thoroughly.
57

Activities for each stage of life — Adulthood

The Lion Foundation for Dental
Health's Periodontal Disease Risk
Examination Program provided
examinations and instruction to980 participants on November
24-25, 2012.

Periodontal disease can lead tobodily disease
The mouth is the entranceway for infection
Recent research has revealed that periodontal disease has an adverse effect ona variety of systemic diseases, such as diabetes and arteriosclerosis. The mouth,
besides being the entranceway for food, is also the port of entry for things likebacteria and viruses. Especially in the case of periodontal disease patients, themucous membranes that normally prevent bacterial invasion have become soreinside the periodontal pockets, which allows bacteria to easily enter capillaries

Chapter 5

and spread throughout the body. Periodontal disease bacteria entering the body
have been found to worsen diabetes, as well as increase the risk of arteriosclerotic diseases such as cerebral infarction and myocardial infarction.

The future envisioned by LionAt Lion, we are cooperating with health care workers to further clarify theconnection between periodontal disease and systemic disease. We will continue to propose effective measures, while developing activities to raise the general public's awareness of periodontal disease. We put great energy into implementing our own independently developed programs such as The Periodontal Disease Risk Testing Program and The Periodontal Disease Prevention Program. Other activities include surveys of lifestyle habits, occult bloodmeasurements in gums, and measuring levels of mouth cleaning. From these
we determine a person's risk of periodontal disease in the future, and urge thesubject to beware of any risks.

58

A breakdown of the Health InsuranceSociety's insurance benefit costs
Meal expenses
while hospitalized

0.7%

Other medical
benefit expenses

20.0%

Hospitalization

24.0%

Dentistry

13.8%

Outpatient

41.5%

The medical costs of treating
periodontal disease

Activities for each stage of life — Adulthood

A breakdown of 2007
medical benefit expenses(cash benefits, excluding
extra benefits) which
totaled 1,405.4 billion yen.

The worse a person's periodontal disease, the higher the medical costs
The rate of periodontal disease infection is extremely high, and has been cited as acause of rising health care costs. According to a survey by the Ministry of Health,
Labor and Welfare, periodontal disease is increasing rapidly in people over 40, andit was revealed that about half of Japanese people from 40-64 years old have periodontal disease pockets (periodontitis). This is a cause of ballooning dental expenses, as dental care costs comprise about 14% of the Health Insurance Society's mediaround one-fifth of overall benefit costs. In addition, because periodontal disease
can also lead to systemic disease, the more people who have periodontal disease,results, people with periodontal disease have 21% higher medical costs on averagethan those without periodontal disease.
To protect the health of people like these who are in the prime of life, Lion
proposes individualized programs tailored to each company to raise employee
awareness of periodontal disease prevention. This aspect of our ongoing industrial dental health activities for workplaces is aimed at optimizing the Health

The future envisioned by Lionthe higher total medical costs tend to rise. According to some published survey

Chapter 5

cal benefit costs. Excluding hospital treatment, dental care expenses now make up

Insurance Societies' medical expenses.
Significant results, such as savings of around 28,000 yen per person over six years indental care costs, have been achieved at companies participating in Lion's initiatives.
59

Activities for each stage of life — Old age

Keeping the mouthclean extends healthy
life expectancy for
elderly people.

Aiming to extend life
expectancy and health
Oral health initiatives for the elderly
With our oral health initiatives for the elderly, we continue to help
people lead longer, healthier lives. Japanese men’s and women’s life
expectancies are among the highest in the world, although the healthy
life expectancy of an independent (not bed-ridden) person remains at
71.19 years for men and 74.21 years for women (2014, Ministry of
Health, Labor and Welfare). At The Lion Foundation for Dental Health

Chapter 5

we aim to extend healthy life expectancy by maintaining oral health, andhelp people remain independent throughout more of their lives.
For example, at special nursing homes for the elderly in Kyotango,

The future envisioned by Lion

Kyoto Prefecture and Neyagawa, Osaka Prefecture, we are taking measures to prevent aspiration pneumonia through oral care. When elderly
people swallow food, some of it can inadvertently enter the airways, andif the mouth and dentures are not kept clean, bacteria can enter the lungs,
possibly leading to pneumonia. Therefore, by providing oral hygiene
instruction to the elderly and to the facilities' staff, our activities prevent
pneumonia. By deploying useful care methods nationwide, we are helping to extend healthy life expectancy.

60

Activities for each stage of life — Old age

Using various tools tomaintain and improveoral function

Preventing dementia by improving oral function
The Lion Foundation for Dental Health also conducts research studies
to develop concrete approaches to maintain and improve oral function,and to contribute to the health of the elderly.
We carried out an investigative survey from 2012 to 2013 in Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture on preventing deterioration of cognitive function by improving elderly people's oral function. This study was jointly
Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology. With the cooperation of local
dental hygienists and public health nurses, we carried out a five-montholder. Elderly people doing various exercises to improve oral function
increased their biting strength and swallowing strength, which also improved their functions of execution and alertness. This, in turn, slowed
the decline of cognitive function. These results were announced at an
information meeting at Miyakojima Hirara Health Center at which theimportance of oral care was demonstrated to dental hygienists and offi-

The future envisioned by Lionoral function improvement program involving 162 people aged 65 or

Chapter 5

conducted by The Lion Foundation for Dental Health and the Tokyo

cials of senior care facilities.

61

Activities for each stage of life — Old age

Maintaining oral health through“Healthy mouth — Beautiful mouth”
exercises
To enjoy delicious food forever
The Lion Foundation for Dental Health developed "Healthy mouth - Beautiful mouth” exercises that make it easy for elderly people to enhance their oral
function and overall health. Three exercises that vitalize the area around themouth, biting strength and swallowing strength are combined to train themuscles that support oral function, thereby preventing aspiration and choking
accidents.

Chapter 5

Exercises to vitalize the area around the mouth strengthen muscles of thelips and cheeks, helping to prevent food spillage while enabling proper pronunciation as well as a wide range of facial expressions that enhance elderly

The future envisioned by Lion

activity and sociability. Exercises to vitalize biting strength make eating safer
by enhancing chewing power and increasing saliva flow, which clean theinside of the mouth, prevent caries and periodontal disease, and facilitate
swallowing. Biting firmly also activates the brain and helps prevent dementia.
Exercises to enhance swallowing strength train the muscles used for swallowing food, which prevents the aspiration of food and saliva into the trachea.
The Lion Foundation for Dental Health holds oral care workshops in cooperation with various municipalities to promote “Healthy mouth - Beautiful
mouth” exercises. We develop these activities to help the elderly continue toenjoy delicious food, happy conversation and lives filled with laughter.

62

Activities for each stage of life — Old age

A DVD was produced
that gives an easy-tounderstand introduction
to methods and resultsof "Healthy mouth —Beautiful mouth” exercises. Our activities
promote improved
vitality of the mouth.

“Healthy mouth — Beautiful mouth” exercises

Lesson 1

Exercises to vitalize
the area around the mouth
1Make "ooh" and "eeh" sounds, exaggerating
the changes in mouth shape.

eeh

Pucker your mouth strongly.

The future envisioned by Lion

2

Pull your lips wide.

Puff your cheeks out big.

Puff out yourleft cheek.

Puff out yourright cheek.

Chapter 5ooh

Puff out
both cheeks.

63-renowned
alth
The world
Dental He
r
fo
n
o
ti
a
d
Lion Foun

T h e p re s e n t a t i o n o f t h e
Clinical Research Award
from the American Academyof Periodontology.

Clarifying the connection
between periodontal disease andmetabolic syndrome● Winning double prizes, in Europe and America
With periodontal disease identified as the cause of various diseases, in 2011
The Lion Foundation for Dental Health carried out epidemiological studies toshow that periodontal disease worsens metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome can cause various lifestyle diseases, and a global response is required todeal with this affliction because it increases the risk of stroke and myocardial
Chapter 5

infarction. However, the discovery that measures to prevent periodontal diseasealso prevent metabolic syndrome was a major breakthrough.
In November 2011, this research earned a Clinical Research Award from theAmerican Academy of Periodontology. It was the first time that the award was

The future envisioned by Lion

won by Japanese.
At Europerio7, held the following year in June 2012, a paper by The Lion Foundation for Dental Health was awarded first prize among papers on periodontal
disease that had been published over the previous three years.
As a scientific research institute approved for funding by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, The Lion Foundation for Dental
Health has received high evaluations for its research, and the two awards fromthe United States and Europe, respectively, attracted worldwide attention.

64

"Polish Your Health,
Increase Your Smiles"
is a 200-page pocket
edition simply organized with plenty ofillustrations.

Proposals for healthy habits
at each stage of life
The "Polish Your Health, Increase Your Smiles" series is published
At Lion, we believe that the secret to happy everyday living is to "examine your health and develop good habits." Therefore, our wide range ofactivities delivers information for better health in general, not only for theteeth and mouth. In 2015, we published the “Polish Your Health, IncreaseYour Smiles” series of books about adopting good health habits at eachstage of life.
Papa To Do" is oriented toward early childhood, and explains child-rearing tips for everything from nutrition to discipline. For schoolchildren
school". For adults there is "The body's danger signals that go surprisingly
unnoticed by working-age people — Notice them to instantly turn yourlife around." For the elderly, "A healthy head and body — Training for a
lifetime of health" is packed with information on how to stay healthy andmaintain an active life. Each of the books is aimed at helping a particular
generation enjoy happy living now and in the future, on the basis of

The future envisioned by Lion

there is "74 Habits for developing effective kids that they don't teach in

Chapter 5

Of these four books, the one entitled "58 Things Baby Wants Mama and"health, comfort, and environment."

65

Promotional efforts include Lion
Dental Products Co., Ltd.’s Dent.File magazine introducing dental
clinics and dental hygienists
working in the field of preventive
dentistry.

Another topic:
Preventive dentistry
Aiming to make preventive dentistry a habit
In addition to the aforementioned life stage-specific care, Lion is also
working to "make preventive dentistry a habit" in the future. Preventive
dentistry provides appropriate care to maintain functions that prevent
mouth diseases. Lion advocates concrete measures to establish regularprofessional care by dentists, etc., and develop daily self-care routines.
Lion also includes other groups vigorously promoting preventive dentistChapter 5
The future envisioned by Lion66

ry. Lion Co., Ltd. brand campaigns and advertising promote relevant consumer education. Lion Dental Products, which sells dental supplies anddental treatment equipment, provides dentists and dental hygienists with
up-to-date information. We also support preventive dentistry by encouraging more clinics to provide it. Besides urging consumers to get regularcheckups and maintenance visits, The Lion Foundation for Dental Healthis also intensifying efforts to provide information to dental clinics. Multifaceted activities by each company are spreading awareness about thisfield.

The roots of the Tokyo Dental
Clinic, a leading preventive
dentistry clinic, go back to theestablishment in 1921 of theLion Dental Clinic for Children,
Japan's first specialized dental
clinic for children.

Strengthening preventive dental care at the Tokyo Dental Clinic
The Lion Foundation for Dental Health is actively introducing preventive dentistry into its dental practice. The Tokyo Dental Clinic is making amajor shift away from the conventional treatment of symptoms involving
grinding, pulling, and putting in false teeth, to a prevention and control(maintenance) system aimed at prevention of recurring problems.
Because dental caries do not heal naturally, and restoring gums to theirbe said that dental diseases are irreversible. In the U.S.A. and countries innorthern Europe, where dentistry is more developed, prevention and conpeople visiting dental clinics for maintenance procedures. Therefore, theTokyo Dental Clinic has set up a reception system for maintenance, where
patients can receive guidance about risk control dentistry consisting of
preventative treatments tailored according to each patient's risk of dental
and oral diseases. Up to seven different types of tests, including saliva
PH, bacteria counts in saliva, etc. are used to accurately determine the

The future envisioned by Liontrol of dental disease (maintenance) are common, with over 80% of

Chapter 5

previous state after periodontal disease occurs is almost impossible, it canpatient's risk level, and regular care helps to maintain mouth health.

67

Putting dental hygienists
in charge of preventive dentistry
Implementing detailed maintenance with a patient-centered system
At the Tokyo Dental Clinic, dental hygienists play a major role in effectively implementing risk control dentistry. While the dentist has final
responsibility for the patient, management of care for patients whose caries
treatment is finished, or whose periodontal disease condition has stabilized,
shifts to the dental hygienist. Dental hygienists, who have learned high-level techniques of professional care, perform specialized risk examinations
Chapter 5
The future envisioned by Lion68

and accordingly carry out maintenance work such as scaling, etc. The
Tokyo Dental Clinic has also introduced a system that assigns each patient a
dental hygienist in charge of that patient's ongoing care, providing a consistent program of prevention and health guidance. The dental hygienist is
actively involved in maintaining the health of the patient's teeth and mouth.
The Lion Dental Clinic For Children, predecessor of the Tokyo Dental
Clinic, was the training clinic for the first dental hygienists (called dental
hygiene nurses at the time) in Japan. A culture that prioritizes constant dedication to the health of the patient and tackling new challenges has been
passed down and has been consistently maintained for over 90 years.

Thai elementary schoolchildren
participate in the 70th Schoolchildren's Mass Toothbrushing Training via the Internet.

The Schoolchildren's
Toothbrushing Tournament
expands worldwide
Targeting participation by 5,000 schools and 500,000 people overseas
The Schoolchildren's Mass Toothbrushing Drills that helped prevent so many
children's cavities continue to evolve more than 80 years after their start in 1932.
The activity has changed from group toothbrushing exercises to more individualized tutorials that address lifestyle habits, including toothbrushing. Beginning withthe 65th such event in 2008, it has also been delivered simultaneously over theInternet, making it easier for people to participate.
countries, beginning with Taiwan in 1984, followed by South Korea, China, thePhilippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Participation in the Oraland at the 72nd such event held in 2015, in addition to 1,287 schools from Japan,
15 schools from seven different countries and regions in Asia also participated. The
total number of participating schools reached 1,302. Therefore, the training has
grown into a large, international event. With delivery over the Internet, students
can participate from their own country and school using the same teaching materials. This event has been highly praised by officials as "a fun way to learn about the

The future envisioned by Lion

Health Event of Tooth Brushing for Children is thereby increasing year by year,

Chapter 5

Lion has also expanded its oral health activities overseas with a focus on Asian

health of the mouth and teeth." Lion's goal is to have one million children from
20,000 schools in Japan, and 500,000 children from 5,000 schools overseas participate in the event. Our motivation to improve children's health continues to grow.
69

The Touch and UnderstandToothbrushing Book witheasy-to-understand 3D
representations (left) andKidzania Tokyo (right).

Meeting the challenge ofmaking information barrier-free
Bringing oral health activities to everyone
At Lion we are diversifying our delivery of information to bring our various oral health initiatives to more and more people.
To provide barrier-free information for the visually impaired, we issue
product information twice a year in Braille and large print, and have been
providing dental instruction to people with disabilities since 1994. We
also created the Touch and Understand Toothbrushing Book in 2004, as a
Chapter 5
The future envisioned by Lion70

way of deepening understanding of oral hygiene. The book uses pictures
and tactile three-dimensional representation techniques such as those usedat schools for the blind, as using the sense of touch apparently makes
learning much easier.
In addition, in 2006, the 110th anniversary of its first toothpaste for sale,
Lion set up a mock dental clinic at the work experience theme park forchildren, Kidzania Tokyo. Trying out a dentist's job in a simulated work
environment is a fun way to teach children about the importance of teeth.

COI: The Center of Innovation Program

Working to extend healthy
life expectancy
Taking part in a national project for the future
Lion is taking on the challenge of participating in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Center of Innovation Program (COI STREAM). For this national project, government, industry, andacademia collaborate on an innovative research agenda for the future. Joining a team based around Hirosaki University, Lion is developing methodsof predicting and preventing diseases such as lifestyle-related illnesses that
medical data (big data) gathered from citizens of Hirosaki over many years.
Many research institutions and private enterprises also joining the teamLion aims to clarify the relationship between dental diseases and metabolic
syndrome. In this program, medicine and dentistry are joined in unusual
ways, and expectations are growing for the research to yield groundbreaking results.
Since 1913, Lion's oral health initiatives have consistently taken on thechallenges of the times. We will tirelessly address challenges in the future

The future envisioned by Lion

address the challenges from different perspectives. As part of this initiative,

Chapter 5

influence healthy life expectancy. The project is using huge amounts of

to make people happier through oral health.

71

ation:next gener
e
th
f
o
s
e
g
the challen
Taking onm
Symposiu
The LDHThe symposium was held at the
Toranomon Hills Forum in Tokyo,
with the backing of organizations
such as the Japan Dental
Association, the 8020 Promotion
Foundation, and the Japan
Dental Hygienists’ Association.

Aiming for dental care that makes
greater contributions to healthy longevity● Symposium held for dental care workers
On June 26, 2016, the Lion Foundation for Dental Health held a symposium with thetheme of “The mission and possibilities of dental care aimed at extending healthy life
expectancy”, in which researchers, dentists, and others who are active in the forefrontof the dental care field gathered for lectures and comprehensive discussions. Taking
the stage for the keynote address was former American Academy of Periodontology
president Joan Otomo-Corgel, who stressed the importance of that mission: “In the
U.S., there are reports on the relationships between periodontal disease and diabetes,
heart disease, osteoporosis, respiratory illness, and more. Now more than ever, dental
Chapter 5care workers are standing as the front line of defense for overall health.” Furthermore,
Professor Ichiro Tsuji of the Tohoku University Graduate School asserted that coordination between medical and dental care is essential to extending healthy life expectancy, and that implementing such cooperation is a matter of urgent importance. Pro-

The future envisioned by Lion

fessor Atsuo Amano of the Osaka University Graduate School explained the mechanism by which periodontal disease bacteria have a negative impact on the entire
body, and emphasized the necessity of oral health maintenance throughout one’s
lifetime. In addition, panel discussions, which were also joined by private practitioners,
developed into heated debates. There was a shared recognition between participantsthat in order to overcome periodontal disease, which is said to be humanity’s mostwidespread infectious disease, there is a need for cutting-edge treatments as well as
long-term preventive dental care from regional dental clinics. The discussions becamea meaningful opportunity to shed light on the best path for the future of dental care.

72

fosters
LDH booke
ing cultur
toothbrush“A 100-Year Tale ofToothbrushing”, B5
softcover, 258 pages
Edited: Lion Foundation
for Dental HealthPublished: Diamond, Inc.

How did the custom of people brushing
their teeth come to be?
● LDH publishes "A 100-Year Tale of Toothbrushing"
When did people first start brushing their teeth, and how did it become an everyday
custom? In 2017, the Lion Foundation for Dental Health published the book “A
100-Year Tale of Toothbrushing” which puts the focus on toothbrushing, the mostfundamental activity for promoting oral health, and introduces its history and the progress made by activities that helped to spread and establish it.
The first chapter looking back on history is a fascinating introduction to toothbrushing customs from before the modern era, combining historical records that begin withthe toothpastes used in ancient Egypt and the Roman era, along with the toothbrushpicks, and the Edo-period Japanese method of rubbing the teeth with sand and salt.
Chapter 2 covers Japan’s Meiji era onward and goes into details about the progress

Chapter 5

ing methods of the upper class in Japan’s Heian period which made use of tooth-

made through oral health promotion activities by Lion and other private enterprises
habit in Japan. Then, Chapter 3 presents an overview of the many diverse and ingenious efforts that went into producing unique advertisements and promotions as well
as books, picture books, movies, and events for informing large numbers of people
about the importance of toothbrushing. Chapter 4 is titled “Brushing your teeth isbrushing up your health” and it explains toothbrushing’s newly recognized role as acontributor to overall health and healthy longevity. From start to finish, the book’s

The future envisioned by Lionalong with dentist organizations to help toothbrushing become an established daily

pages are filled with rich visuals and it’s easy for anyone to read. It’s a book thatserves as a truly valuable resource regarding cultural and lifestyle history.

73

Supporting the world in theprevention of periodontal disease
Medicinal toothbrushing system
In 1993, Systema Series toothpaste was released. It gained the
top market share in Japan due to its ability to penetrate and sterilize periodontal bacteria lurking deep in gum pockets (spaces
between the teeth and gums), effectively preventing periodontal
disease. Later, bundled with an ultra-fine toothbrush, it was
launched in one country after another, and continues to help
many people maintain good teeth and health.

China
The creamy foam in this gum care
toothpaste reaches into every nook
and corner, delivering penetrating
anti-bacterial power to places
where periodontal disease-causing
bacteria grow. It even reduces
bleeding of the gums.

74

Hong Kong

This high-performance
toothbrush has ultra-finebristles with 0.02mm
tips that reach into
narrow gum lines andbetween teeth to effectively remove plaque.

Indonesia

Malaysia

This high-performance anti-cavity
toothpaste is formulated withnano calcium and fluorine to aid
in initial cavity repair.

This high-performance
toothbrush has ultra-finebristles with 0.02mm
tips that reach into
narrow gum lines andbetween teeth to effectively remove plaque.

Japan

Singapore
This gum care toothpaste combines the penetrating anti-bacterial
component IPMP with the anti-inflammatory component GK2. It
gives the gums long-lasting protection from bacteria, and alleviates
redness and swelling of the gums.

TaiwanUsing Japanese technology, this brush cleans gaps
between teeth and gum
pockets that are difficult toreach with regular brushes.

South Korea
The highly dispersible fine bubbles
in this gum care toothpaste spreadto every corner of the teeth andgums, penetrating and killing periodontal disease-causing bacteria
where it grows.

ThailandThis anti-plaque toothpaste combines
the penetrating anti-bacterial component IPMP with the anti-inflammatorycomponent GK2. Micro-bubbles
spread out and reduce the plaquebuildup that causes bad breath andperiodontal disease.

75

History of the Lion Health Seminar
The Lion New Year Seminar that has been held since 1992 had its name changed to
the Lion Health Seminar starting in 2017.

76

Topic

Year

Number

1992

1

Periodontal disease

1993

2

Periodontal disease / The 8020 Campaign

1994

3

How much do we need infection prevention measures?

1995

4

The 8020 Campaign: Dental health for seniors

1996

5

The 8020 Campaign: Dental health guidance for adults

1997

6

Dental hygienists in the future
The latest information after the revision of medical fees,and dental hygienists' expected activities

1998

7

The bridge to a prosperous life — “Oral care in the future”
Symposium: What you should know about biting and health— “How it concerns dental hygienists”

1999

8

Living through difficult times — Dentistry required for total healthSymposium: Oral care and eating habits of the elderly— “In order to enjoy delicious flavors forever”

2000

9

Overcoming turbulent times — “What is expected of dental hygienists”
Symposium: The anticipated role of dental hygienists in the year 2000

2001

10

Aiming to meet expectations for dental hygienists
Symposium: Thinking about health in terms of the oral cavity

2002

11

Symposium: The key stages on the way to 8020
— “Characteristics of middle age and how to accommodate them”

2004

13

Exploring the near future of preventive dentistry— “Entering an age when invisible cavities are visible”— “The role of preventive dentistry in a new era”

TopicYear

Number

2005

14

The Lion Foundation for Dental Health 40th Anniversary Seminar— The forefront of periodontal disease prevention for dental hygienists“Whole body health begins with the oral cavity”

2006

15

Aiming to achieve health longevity— “The role required of dental hygienists in the 21st century”

2007

16

Increase brain power and promote overall health through oral strength— “The dental hygienist is a consultant for mouth health”

2008

17

“Healthy mouth — Beautiful mouth” for you and your clients— “Aim to be a charming dental hygienist”

2009

18

“Healthy mouth — Beautiful mouth” for you and your clients Vol. 2— “Healthy mouth — Beautiful mouth” for the elderly,achieving a vibrant life

2010

19

“Healthy mouth — Beautiful mouth” from the perspectives of life stages— “The dental hygienist is your life-long mouth advisor”

2011

20

“Healthy mouth — Beautiful mouth” supports the mind and body— “Aim to be a charming dental hygienist”

2012

21

Aiming to extend healthy life expectancy— “Expectations for dental hygienists”

2013

22

Aiming to extend healthy life expectancy— “Thinking about life stages and the role of the dental hygienist”

2014

23

Aiming to extend healthy life expectancy— “Dental hygienists support healthy minds and bodies”

2015

24

Awareness and support for oral function with the goal of extending
healthy life expectancy— “Protecting and nurturing functions for each life stage”

2016

25

Awareness and support for oral function with the goal of extending
healthy life expectancy— the roles of dental hygienists in a new era

2017

26

Aiming for dental care that works toward extending healthy lifespans— the expected roles of dental hygienists

77LION Promoting Oral HealthOver 100 Years of Progress
Published by
The Lion Foundation for Dental HealthMay 201778