Bernie Kieser

J. Bernard Kieser, (1938-2009) known to most as Bernie, was an internationally renowned periodontal clinician, teacher and researcher. In clinical practice, Bernie was without equal. Many of his patients stayed with him for decades and as a result many became friends, as well as patients. He cared deeply about the welfare of his patients and after his illness was diagnosed last autumn he wrote personally to all his longstanding patients to explain his situation, concerned that he was letting them down in giving up his practice so suddenly. The many replies expressed sadness, admiration, gratitude and love in equal measure. Bernie was renowned for his views on the patient's role in the control of disease and he brilliantly negotiated that fine line between encouragement and chastisement. As one patient put it: 'I always left your practice with a spring in my step, even when you had told me off!' Bernie was a visionary researcher and together with colleagues abroad like the late Sture Nyman he conducted seminal work that is cited to this day. He was renowned for his honesty, his straight-talking, common-sense approach and for his uncompromising and razor-sharp logic.

It's often said that inspirational teachers change the course of people's lives; Bernie was one such teacher. His students were rewarded with an unequalled learning opportunity which shaped their professional careers. He taught clarity of thought and the importance of questioning received wisdom. He was a superlative communicator and the anecdotes that he used in his teaching became legendary; who can forget dental plaque described as thugs in a football stadium?

Bernie was irascible, irreverent and utterly irreplaceable. He was also refreshingly politically incorrect and was always prepared to put his head above the parapet when most would shelter behind it. His guidance and friendship deeply enriched the lives of his students and his contemporaries. A bright light has been extinguished in dentistry and he will be sorely missed by those who had the privilege of knowing him but especially by Jenny, Sam, Nigel and his grandchildren, to whom he was devoted.