Alan John Lawrence OBE

On 3 September 2009 Alan died, aged 68, after a courageous battle against rectal cancer. Friends and colleagues packed the funeral and thanksgiving services and many were moved to give tribute to Alan's many acts of kindness and encouragement. Alan's Christian faith was central to his personality and he provided his own moving message to mourners on the service sheet: 'I am dying, but have had a wonderful life and have got a wonderful Saviour.'

At Bristol University he met fellow dental student, Judith and they married in 1963, graduating the following year. They went to Kenya in 1965 and Alan practised as a missionary dental surgeon for four years. He maintained his missionary zeal till the end and was a trustee of Bridge2Aid and Life Vice-President and Trustee of the Christian Dental Fellowship.

On his return from East Africa in 1970, Alan focused on administrative posts; first as CDO in Eastbourne, then moving to Barnet as ADO and finally to Berkshire in 1979 where he remained consultant in dental public health until his retirement in 1998.

He was a most successful founding editor of the journal Evidence-Based Dentistry, a popular postgraduate lecturer and adviser to the Oxford Deanery for 13 years and until 2006 a most effective Retraining and Returning Adviser for UK dentists overseas.

Alan was greatly-respected for his well-informed views and was a valuable member of SDAC. His commitment to any organisation of which he was a member was total and he was an energetic secretary and distinguished president of BASCD. His election as a life member of the BDA in 1998 and the receipt of the civil honour, OBE in 1999 gave him great pleasure.

Alan was an enthusiast and the first to embrace new technology or gadgets in any field. His computer skills were legendary and he generously would share his knowledge with anyone willing to learn. Alan was as proud of his family as they were of him. Our sympathy goes to Judith, son and daughter John and Mary and grandchildren who can be reassured that friends, colleagues and patients will be forever enriched for knowing Alan Lawrence.