1940-2018

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A German bomber, having missed its target in Manchester, jettisoned a landmine over the Lancashire village of Stubbins. The blast brought down the roof, crushing Brenda's cot. It was 2 May, her birthday. After her party she developed a tummy ache. Luckily, her mother had taken her into her bed at the front of the house.

Moving to Cheshire, she attended Crewe Grammar, a progressive school which pioneered careers evenings. It was there that she met Professor John Miller who commended dentistry. She subsequently spent six happy years at Bristol Dental School, winning the paedodontic prize and becoming 'houseman' to a joint post with the School Dental Service. She was shocked that children were unable to get to her clinic because they had no shoes.

Moving to London as Chief Dental Officer of Hillingdon and remembering this, Brenda worked with Professor Winter of the Eastman to run a trial of 'dental home visitors' who helped mothers unable to get to the dental clinic. Building on the success of this, she established one of the first domiciliary services for the homebound and was a founder member of the Society of Dentistry for the Handicapped.

This was the time before fluoride toothpaste. Appalled by the large number of deciduous teeth which were being extracted, she recognised the need to develop dental health education. In pursuit of this, she joined a diploma in sociology evening class and pioneered a number of programmes including 'Teeth Time' for infant schoolchildren. Funded by Beechams, she presented the results at the annual meetings of the BSDR. Brenda was later appointed a member of the Health Education Councils Dental Advisory Panel.

Brenda taught dental public health and later was a part-time dento-legal advisor at Dental Protection. She introduced one of the first programmes of clinical audit, describing it at a BDA annual conference. Subsequently she was appointed by the Lord Chancellor to be a member of Central London Employment Tribunals.

At the end of her career Brenda was also the general manager of community services in Harrow and Hillingdon; responsible not only for dentistry but also nurses, therapists, a cottage hospital and two child psychiatrists. In recognition of her achievements she was invited to a Buckingham Palace garden party. Abandoning dentistry in her retirement, she devoted her time to her interests: gardening, cooking and her 13 grandchildren.

Ian Maddick