In April 2024, on the eve of the commemorative event for Professor Chen Anyu's birthday, Anyu Dental Implant Hospital unexpectedly received an article titled "In Memory of Professor Chen Anyu — The Guiding Light of Chinese Esthetic Dentistry" authored by Mr. Sun Shaoxuan, the Father of Chinese Esthetic Dentistry, founder of Chinese aesthetic and cosmetic dentistry, Professor and Chief Physician at the School of Stomatology, Anhui Medical University, and recipient of the Special Government Allowance from the State Council.
The article details the course of their acquaintance and exchanges from their initial meeting in 1984 until Professor Chen Anyu's passing in 1993. In an unpretentious tone, Professor Sun Shaoxuan records Professor Chen Anyu's immense guidance and support during the journey of Chinese esthetic dentistry from its ideological inception to its formal establishment in academic and clinical research fields.
This publication marks the first English translation of "In Memory of Professor Chen Anyu — The Guiding Light of Chinese Esthetic Dentistry" shared with the global English-speaking internet community. It aims to provide global users with richer perspectives and historical context for understanding the origins and evolution of esthetic dentistry in China.
In Memory of Professor Chen Anyu — The Guiding Light of Chinese Esthetic Dentistry
Author: Prof. Sun Shaoxuan, Founder of Chinese Esthetic Dentistry
On the morning of July 16, 2021, the 12th National Conference on Dental Implantology convened in Xiamen. Displayed on the main screen of the rostrum were the words: “Professor Chen Anyu of West China School of Stomatology, Founder of Dental Implantology in China,” alongside a large photograph of Professor Chen with a warm smile. This gesture expressed the deep respect and remembrance felt by all attending colleagues for Professor Chen, paying tribute to the history of Chinese dental implantology.
Born in 1923, Professor Chen Anyu graduated in 1949 from the College of Dentistry at West China Union University, earning a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) from West China and a Doctor of Dental Surgery from the State University of New York. She made outstanding contributions to China’s stomatological cause and enjoyed high prestige across the field.
Beyond her widely known titles as the “Mother of Chinese Dental Implantology”, a renowned prosthodontist, and a two-term Dean of West China School of Stomatology, her invaluable history during the pioneering era of Chinese esthetic dentistry remains little known.
Let us turn back the clock and look back at the past.
In 1984, the Department of Stomatology was established at Anhui Medical University. As a faculty member, I traveled in the spring of 1986 to the School of Stomatology at West China University of Medical Sciences—hailed as the “birthplace and cradle of modern Chinese stomatology”—for advanced studies in clinical prosthodontics and teaching. Due to my long-standing personal interest in calligraphy and painting, I had read many books on art aesthetics and learned some basic principles of aesthetics and their application. Recognizing the profound artistic nature of stomatology and the distinct aesthetic features of teeth, I gradually realized that stomatology and aesthetics share many commonalities and intersections, which inspired me to combine the two into a dedicated line of research. I authored two papers on esthetic dentistry from the perspective of formal and mathematical beauty—“On the Beauty of Complete Dentures” and “Occlusal Curvature and Its Representation Methods”—and brought them to West China to ask Professor Chen Anyu for her review.
As Dean of West China School of Stomatology and a highly respected authority in the field, Professor Chen held immense prestige. As a mere visiting doctor, directly approaching her with my manuscripts felt somewhat presumptuous. Walking into her office with an anxious heart, I explained my purpose. She showed no arrogance whatsoever, and her warm attitude moved me deeply. After reading the papers, she was pleasantly surprised by dental manuscripts written from an aesthetic perspective. She gave her explicit support and stated she would personally recommend them to relevant journals for prompt publication to generate a broader impact.
Reflecting on that time, Professor Chen Anyu remarked: Currently, no one in China has proposed the concept of “esthetic dentistry,” nor has anyone conducted specialized research on it. However, social development trends are driving stomatology to face two new challenges. First, the mouth, teeth, and maxillofacial region are sensitive focal points of facial appearance, as well as key areas for visual attention and facial expression. A vast array of aesthetic phenomena and underlying laws naturally exist within stomatology; someone must excavate, organize, and elevate them to the study of facial aesthetics to guide clinical dental practice. Second, China’s reform and opening-up present an optimistic outlook, and the public’s demand for dental aesthetic services is an objective reality. Social demand is always the driving force behind the emergence and growth of new disciplines, and dentists should strive for this with an undeniable duty. She advised me to boldly attempt establishing an academic team upon my return. Although this approach contradicted the conventional sequence of “developing the discipline first, then establishing the society,” the prospect of aesthetics guiding medicine to elevate healthcare quality was beyond doubt, and the progress of the era left no room for us to stay silent or idle. At the same time, she pointed out that starting from scratch is a double-edged sword—it carries profound significance, but also risks. The road ahead would be long; I had to withstand hardship and be mentally prepared for setbacks.
In the spring of 1987, after returning to my university from West China, I delivered a series of lectures for faculty and students in the Department of Stomatology, including “Aesthetics and Stomatology,” “A Preliminary Study on Facial Aesthetics,” “Aesthetic Issues in Clinical Prosthodontics,” and “Laws of Formal Beauty in Complete Dentures.” Surprisingly, every single lecture was packed to capacity. This greatly bolstered my confidence to deepen my research in medical aesthetics, and I began contemplating the initiation and establishment of the Anhui Society of Medical Aesthetics.
Outreach within aesthetic circles proceeded smoothly, with several aesthetician scholars expressing their participation and support with keen insight. However, working within medical circles proved far more difficult. Under the political climate of the time, lingering taboos around the term “aesthetics” remained, coupled with the constraints of long-standing traditional mindsets. Most physicians believed that medicine and aesthetics were two entirely separate fields and that combining them was impossible, leading to cold remarks and criticisms that labeled the idea as “unorthodox” or “fanciful.” Whenever I felt discouraged, I would write to Professor Chen to confide in her, and she always replied promptly to comfort me. Looking back at that period, on one side was the chill of a high-pressure environment and the acute sense of difficulty and risk in pioneering esthetic dentistry; on the other was the encouraging warmth from Professor Chen at West China, for which I felt profound admiration and gratitude—it served as my spiritual pillar to persevere.
In the summer of 1988, Wang Guanghu, Wang Hailin, and Zhou Xuejun—who had just graduated from West China—along with Chen Desong, a graduate from Shanghai Second Medical University, were assigned by Professor Li Peizhi, Head of the Department of Stomatology at Anhui Medical University, to become my capable assistants. I was no longer fighting a lone battle. Each riding an old bicycle, we embarked on a grueling journey of advocacy and persuasion. Sometimes all five bicycles set off together, making a rattling noise that became a unique sight on the campus of Anhui Medical University back then. Those in the know would exclaim: “One old guide leading four youths, five bikes conquering the world!” In truth, I wasn't particularly old at forty-five; it was simply that they were so young, brimming with youthful energy. Today, they have grown into industry elites: Prof. Wang Guanghu, Chairman of Guangdong Smile Dental Group; Prof. Wang Hailin, Vice Dean of the School of Stomatology at Anhui Medical University; Prof. Zhou Xuejun of the Department of Orthodontics at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University; and Dr. Chen Desong, a renowned dentist settled in Canada. History will not forget them.
On April 16, 1989, after a year of preparation, the founding ceremony and the first academic conference of China's first provincial medical aesthetics society (Anhui) were held, attended by over 200 experts and scholars from more than twenty provinces nationwide. During the meeting, a signing ceremony for the initiators of the Medical Aesthetics Society of the Chinese Medical Association was held in Hefei. Professor Chen Anyu authorized me to sign on her behalf, expressing her support for establishing a national academic organization for medical aesthetics.
Later, the two papers on esthetic dentistry recommended by Professor Chen Anyu were published respectively in the Chinese Journal of Stomatology (Issue 5, 1988) and the West China Journal of Stomatology (Issue 1, 1989). When I wrote to inform her, she replied: “The sequential publication of your papers has blown a spring breeze of aesthetics into traditional stomatology. I believe this discipline holds a vast and bright future.”
On November 14, 1990, the Society of Medical Aesthetics and Cosmetology of the Chinese Medical Association was established in Wuhan, alongside the formation of its first national committee and five specialized academic groups. Sun Shaoxuan of Anhui Medical University was elected as a standing committee member and head of the Esthetic Dentistry Group, while Guo Tianwen of the Fourth Military Medical University and Pan Kefeng of Shanghai Second Medical University served as standing committee members and deputy heads. From that point forward, China’s research in esthetic dentistry entered an organized and planned track of development.
From May 4 to 7, 1993, the First National Academic Conference of Young and Middle-Aged Medical Aesthetics and Cosmetology of the Chinese Medical Association was held in Chengdu. I went to visit Professor Chen Anyu. Though in poor health and resting at home, she remained constantly concerned about the development of esthetic dentistry.
Today, that single spark has kindled a prairie fire. Through nearly forty years of craftsmanship, dedication, and accumulation, Chinese esthetic dentistry has grown from its green beginnings to maturity, stepping onto a thriving and healthy path of development. Its close integration with clinical application has elevated the aesthetic height of stomatology and aligned it with international standards. It can truly be said that Professor Chen Anyu, with her strategic vision and profound wisdom, supported and guided this discipline from its absolute beginning.
On December 7, 1993, Professor Chen Anyu, the guiding light of Chinese esthetic dentistry, passed away due to illness despite medical treatment. Colleagues across China’s stomatological community felt deep sorrow!
Professor Chen Anyu—a magnificent life, immortalized forever, shining through the ages!
About the Author
Prof. Sun Shaoxuan, DDS
Founder of Chinese Esthetic Dentistry
Prof. Sun Shaoxuan is a distinguished Professor, Chief Physician, and recipient of the Special Government Allowance from the State Council of China. Recognized as the pioneer and founder of Chinese esthetic dentistry, he currently serves as an Advisor to the Oral Culture Professional Committee of the China Association of Popular Culture.
Key Leadership & Academic Positions:
• Former China Regional President, International Federation of Esthetic Dentistry (IFED)
• Former Vice Chairman & Chairman of the Expert Committee, Society of Medical Aesthetics and Cosmetology, Chinese Medical Association
• Former Chairman (2nd & 3rd Term), Anhui Society of Medical Aesthetics and Cosmetology
• Former Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Clinical Medical Aesthetics and Cosmetology
• Former Associate Editor-in-Chief, Chinese Journal of Medical Aesthetics and Cosmetology
• Expert Evaluator, National Medical Malpractice Appraisal Commission & Chinese Medical Science and Technology Awards
Scholarship & Publications:
Prof. Sun serves on the editorial boards of 12 academic journals, including the Journal of Modern Stomatology. He has edited or co-authored 33 textbooks and academic monographs, and published over 40 clinical papers in prosthodontics alongside more than 120 foundational research papers in esthetic dentistry.
Beyond medicine, Prof. Sun is an accomplished artist and writer, serving as a Board Member of the Anhui News Artists Association and a special columnist for Yangcheng Evening News.
Original Article Reference:
This article was originally published in Chinese by Prof. Shaoxuan Sun in April 2024. To read the full primary text in Chinese, please visit: Read Original Chinese Article: 《纪念陈安玉教授—我国口腔美学的引路人》 →