By PHOEBE FALCONER
Retired dean of Otago Dental School. Died aged 92.
Sir John Walsh's advocacy of water supply fluoridation had a huge impact on New Zealand's school dental nurses, among others. Before fluoridation began in 1954, nurses had their hands full looking after 450 children. Twenty years on they could
comfortably handle 700 or more, such was the increase in dental health.
"Fluoridation is a completely safe, effective, economic and essential public health measure," said Sir John.
His campaign, however, made him some enemies in this country and elsewhere.
"Fluoridation was thought to be a Communist plot which would wreck your plumbing, your kidneys and your digestion."
Sir John made headlines in his native Australia in 1970 by labelling it "a land of gums", to make his point that dental health was far superior on this side of the Tasman.
Much of that superiority must be laid at his door, for his leadership of the Otago University Dental School from 1946 until his retirement in 1972. He arrived in the job as a brash 34-year-old and battled for the first 10 years to improve the standards of the school and the quality of its buildings.
His dedication to dentistry led him to invent an air-turbine drill, intended to lend itself to painless drilling. The machine was such an improvement on the old-style drills that it was rapidly adopted by dentists around the world.
He was rewarded for his efforts in dentistry by a knighthood in 1960 and honorary life membership of the Dental Association in 1971. He had served as president of that body in 1969, was chairman of the Dental Council and was a consultant in dental health for the World Health Organisation.
Sir John died in Auckland on August 22. He is survived by a son, three daughters, 14 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
