Lotte Holds Ceremony with Okinawa Prefecture and Okinawa Dental Association for Oral Health Partnership Agreement

Lotte Co., Ltd. (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Hideki Nakajima; hereinafter “Lotte”) held a ceremony on Monday, May 11, 2026, with Okinawa Prefecture (Naha City, Okinawa; Governor: Yasuhiro Tamaki) and the Okinawa Dental Association (Haebaru Town, Shimajiri District, Okinawa; Chairperson: Atsuko Komesu) for the “Partnership Agreement on Promoting Dental and Oral Health for Okinawa Residents.” The agreement was concluded on Thursday, February 26, 2026. This marks Lotte’s 26th oral health-related partnership agreement. The three parties will collaborate to promote dental and oral health initiatives, helping maintain and improve the oral environment of Okinawa residents so they can lead healthy and fulfilling lives. The main contents of the agreement include: health promotion projects in Okinawa through dental and oral health; promotion of residents’ health through dental and oral initiatives; awareness-raising on the importance of chewing; and other matters related to promoting dental and oral health. Lotte will contribute to the dental and oral health of Okinawa residents by utilizing tools related to “chewing” and “xylitol,” which the company has developed since its founding in 1948. The agreement signing ceremony was held on Monday, May 11, 2026, at the Okinawa Prefectural Government Office. Attendees included Okinawa Governor Yasuhiro Tamaki, Okinawa Dental Association Chairperson Atsuko Komesu, and Lotte Kyushu Regional Branch Manager Takahiro Nakamura. Takahiro Nakamura commented that the company name Lotte derives from “Charlotte,” the woman loved by the protagonist in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s classic novel The Sorrows of Young Werther. Lotte’s well-known corporate message, “The Sweetheart of Your Mouth,” reflects the company’s wish to remain beloved by people forever, just like Charlotte, who is described as an eternal sweetheart. He said Lotte aims to support oral health through the functions of chewing gum, in line with its corporate message, and to help create a future in which people can live happily for many years. This tripartite agreement was concluded to help realize Okinawa Prefecture’s health promotion vision of “Chaganju Okinawa,” meaning “always healthy Okinawa.” For Okinawa residents, who still have a high prevalence of dental caries, Lotte will use its tools related to chewing to raise awareness. The company will contribute to health promotion across all age groups by applying its unique strengths and technologies to initiatives such as oral frailty prevention, dental and oral health education for adults, development of oral function in early childhood, and maintenance of dental health. Lotte’s sustainability goal, “Lotte Mirai Challenge 2048,” includes promoting health through chewing as one of its objectives. The company is advancing research and awareness activities related to chewing and health, as well as initiatives such as maintaining dental health in early childhood using xylitol. “Chaganju” means staying healthy forever. Reference: Oral frailty refers to minor deterioration of the mouth. If slight declines in oral function are left unaddressed or not handled appropriately, they may disrupt nutritional balance and lead to overall physical decline. Oral frailty is therefore attracting attention as an important sign of the beginning of aging. In fact, a study that checked oral function in older adults and followed them over time reported that people with oral frailty had about twice the risk of physical decline, including physical frailty and sarcopenia after two years, and about twice the risk of requiring long-term care certification or death after four years. Source: Tanaka et al. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2018;73(12):1661-1667 Lotte Co., Ltd.: https://www.lotte.co.jp/