Upon graduation, the dental education community certifies that new dentists are competent to independently provide oral health care.

CNN: Don't be afraid of dentists

Academics will work with the Scottish Dental Practice Based Research Network, and dental practitioners, to put their research findings into practice through better dental and oral health care.

BBC: Oral health research funding for Scottish universities

An official survey three years ago estimated that 57 percent of rural Chinese residents or 500 million people had never brushed their teeth, a figure that spells megabucks to oral health-care companies.

NPR: Marketing to Millions: China's Changing Tastes

Daily oral care plays a part in overall oral health and data on how an insurance holder cares for his or her teeth could be valuable and insurance companies might be interested in partnering with BEAM to get that intel, he explained.

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