Richard Johns, a pioneer of dental implantology who helped establish the first school in the UK to provide courses on implant techniques, has died aged 96.
In collaboration with Swedish professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark, he set up the Dental Implant Institute in Sheffield in 1991. It was the first school in the UK to offer training in implant techniques as well as treatment.
Early life and career
Richard was born in Sutton, Surrey, to Walter, an accountant, and Cynthia (née Gamble), a secretary. He attended St Paul's school in London. After leaving school, he completed his national service as a dental orderly with the RAF, stationed in Hong Kong.
In 1949 he enrolled at Guy's hospital to study dentistry, qualifying in 1955, the year after he married Pam Thurgood, a teacher he had met through the Inter Varsity social club.
He initially worked as a house surgeon at Guy's and as a part-time registrar, while also taking up an associate role at a practice in New Eltham, south London. After three years juggling those responsibilities, he set up his own practice in Orpington, Kent, with Pam doing the accounts and taking all out-of-hours phone calls.
Academic and research work
Richard later took on a part-time teaching role back at Guy's, before deciding to become a full-time lecturer there and closing the practice in 1968. While lecturing, he began research into dental implants and was awarded a PhD in 1973, later publishing many research papers on the subject. In 1981 he was appointed professor of restorative dentistry at Sheffield University.
Dental Implant Institute
One of Richard's patients in Sheffield was Sir Ronald Hobson, the entrepreneur and philanthropist, who in 1991 provided financial support to establish the Dental Implant Institute.
Richard was also president of the British Endodontic Society, the British Society for Restorative Dentistry and the odontological section of the Royal Society of Medicine.
Retirement and legacy
After Richard retired in 1998, he and Pam moved to Winchester, Hampshire, where they oversaw the building of their retirement home. They named it Manaccan, after the village in Cornwall where in 1791 the Rev William Gregor discovered the metal titanium, which is used in dental implants today. In 2002 Richard organised the unveiling of a plaque in Manaccan to commemorate the pioneering work of Brånemark.
Pam died in 2013. Richard is survived by their five children, Susan, Katharine, Lucy, Tim and me, 16 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
