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Tribute to
The
Journal of
Volume 102 Issue 4
Dentistry News from the Editorial Council
Tribute to
Dr John W McLean, OBE Pioneer in Dental Ceramics
On June 29, 2009, John Walford McLean, OBE, passed away peacefully after battling cancer for several years. Dr McLean was a husband, father, grandfather, scientist, academician, researcher, and clinician. Dr McLean attended Guy’s Dental Hospital London, and upon completion of his degree, he continued there as Guy’s Senior House Surgeon, and then as Demonstrator in Conservative Dentistry. In 1952, he moved on to the Eastman Dental Hospital London, and continued to be affiliated with the Eastman Hospital throughout his professional life. He received his MDS at the University of London during this time and was awarded a DSc in 1978 for his thesis entitled “Advances in New Dental Materials and Their Physical and Biological Assessment.” In his private life, he married Diana in 1954, and had 4 daughters. At their home in Hampstead he pursued his other passion, gardening, where he also earned national recognition for his award-winning delphiniums. Dr McLean’s contributions to the dental profession as clinician, scientist, researcher, and academic are monumental. They include numerous scientific articles and 3 landmark textbooks: The Science and Art of Dental Ceramics, Vol. 1: The Nature of Dental Ceramics and Their Clinical Use (1979), The Science and Art of Dental Ceramics, Vol. 2: Bridge Design and Laboratory Procedures in Dental Ceramics (1980), and Glass Ionomer, coauthored with Alan Wilson (1988). Dr McLean was Consulting Professor and Lecturer in Fixed Prosthodontics and Biomaterials at Louisiana State University (LSU) from 1970 to 1995, where he developed a life-long friendship with the Dean, Dr Edmond Jeansonne. He received an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree in 1987 from LSU. Throughout his professional life, he was involved in organized dentistry, serving on the committees for Research on Dental and Surgical Materials in the Ministry of Technology and Department of Health. He was also a Member of the General Dental Council UK as well as President of the British Dental Association. He was made a Fellow and/or Honorary Member of more than a dozen dental academies and societies. His innovative ideas and concepts included alteration of the dentin layer by acidic acrylic in 1952, the bonding of porcelain to metal in the 1960s, the advent of high-strength aluminous cores in the 1960s, as well as the development and clinical use of glass ionomer cements in the 1970s. His groundbreaking patent on aluminous oxide reinforcement of all-ceramic cores paved the way for strengthening all-ceramic restorations, allowing their use in daily clinical practice.
The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry
Tribute to McLean
October 2009 For the next 40 years, his classic dispersion strengthening work using high-strength particles in a glassy ceramic matrix influenced each advance in dental ceramic technology, leading to today’s applications using pressed ceramics and zirconia cores. He was an ardent advocate of using all-ceramics crowns in the esthetic zone in order to maximize translucency, yet he always stressed the long-term limitations of brittle materials. Therefore, he taught strict standards of clinical implementation, methodical scientific methodology, and careful and critical thinking at each clinical step. In 1978, he was named in the New Year’s Honours List by Queen Elizabeth II as Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to dental research. John McLean was a superb clinician who maintained a renowned private practice in London for nearly 4 decades. He always made himself available to colleagues, young and old, and shared his wisdom and insight freely. Among his closest friends were the leaders in the field of dentistry; he was a mentor to many and a teacher to all. John McLean leaves behind many students, colleagues, friends, and family who will forever treasure the time they spent in his presence. Respectfully submitted, Gerard Chiche, DDS David Winkler, DDS
Tribute to McLean
A13
Journal of
Volume 102 Issue 4
Dentistry News from the Editorial Council
Tribute to
Dr John W McLean, OBE Pioneer in Dental Ceramics
On June 29, 2009, John Walford McLean, OBE, passed away peacefully after battling cancer for several years. Dr McLean was a husband, father, grandfather, scientist, academician, researcher, and clinician. Dr McLean attended Guy’s Dental Hospital London, and upon completion of his degree, he continued there as Guy’s Senior House Surgeon, and then as Demonstrator in Conservative Dentistry. In 1952, he moved on to the Eastman Dental Hospital London, and continued to be affiliated with the Eastman Hospital throughout his professional life. He received his MDS at the University of London during this time and was awarded a DSc in 1978 for his thesis entitled “Advances in New Dental Materials and Their Physical and Biological Assessment.” In his private life, he married Diana in 1954, and had 4 daughters. At their home in Hampstead he pursued his other passion, gardening, where he also earned national recognition for his award-winning delphiniums. Dr McLean’s contributions to the dental profession as clinician, scientist, researcher, and academic are monumental. They include numerous scientific articles and 3 landmark textbooks: The Science and Art of Dental Ceramics, Vol. 1: The Nature of Dental Ceramics and Their Clinical Use (1979), The Science and Art of Dental Ceramics, Vol. 2: Bridge Design and Laboratory Procedures in Dental Ceramics (1980), and Glass Ionomer, coauthored with Alan Wilson (1988). Dr McLean was Consulting Professor and Lecturer in Fixed Prosthodontics and Biomaterials at Louisiana State University (LSU) from 1970 to 1995, where he developed a life-long friendship with the Dean, Dr Edmond Jeansonne. He received an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree in 1987 from LSU. Throughout his professional life, he was involved in organized dentistry, serving on the committees for Research on Dental and Surgical Materials in the Ministry of Technology and Department of Health. He was also a Member of the General Dental Council UK as well as President of the British Dental Association. He was made a Fellow and/or Honorary Member of more than a dozen dental academies and societies. His innovative ideas and concepts included alteration of the dentin layer by acidic acrylic in 1952, the bonding of porcelain to metal in the 1960s, the advent of high-strength aluminous cores in the 1960s, as well as the development and clinical use of glass ionomer cements in the 1970s. His groundbreaking patent on aluminous oxide reinforcement of all-ceramic cores paved the way for strengthening all-ceramic restorations, allowing their use in daily clinical practice.
The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry
Tribute to McLean
October 2009 For the next 40 years, his classic dispersion strengthening work using high-strength particles in a glassy ceramic matrix influenced each advance in dental ceramic technology, leading to today’s applications using pressed ceramics and zirconia cores. He was an ardent advocate of using all-ceramics crowns in the esthetic zone in order to maximize translucency, yet he always stressed the long-term limitations of brittle materials. Therefore, he taught strict standards of clinical implementation, methodical scientific methodology, and careful and critical thinking at each clinical step. In 1978, he was named in the New Year’s Honours List by Queen Elizabeth II as Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to dental research. John McLean was a superb clinician who maintained a renowned private practice in London for nearly 4 decades. He always made himself available to colleagues, young and old, and shared his wisdom and insight freely. Among his closest friends were the leaders in the field of dentistry; he was a mentor to many and a teacher to all. John McLean leaves behind many students, colleagues, friends, and family who will forever treasure the time they spent in his presence. Respectfully submitted, Gerard Chiche, DDS David Winkler, DDS
Tribute to McLean
A13