In memoriam: exceptional life of Prof. Peter Deane Barnard OAM, ADM

Professor Peter Deane Barnard OAM, ADM

25 April 1932 – November 2021

A tribute written with the assistance of Shanti Sivaneswaran, Pauline Barnard and Zephie Cerny.

Leaving behind him an exceptional legacy of work in the area of public health and oral healthcare, Associate Professor Peter Barnard passed away in November last year. Given his remarkable life, it is not too much to say that the Australian dental industry owes him a debt of gratitude for his vision, tireless work and relentless commitment to research.

In 1961, he established the post-graduate diploma and master degrees in public health dentistry at the University of Sydney – the first of its kind in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, and only the fourth of its kind worldwide at that time, which placed Australian dental research and qualifications far ahead on the international stage.

These courses attracted students from 41 different countries, and created such influential graduates as health ministers, university deans, clinical directors and high-ranking officers in the armed forces, spread across the globe from Australia and New Zealand through to Southeast Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East. Incredibly, 25 directors of dental services in 21 countries received their specialist training in these Sydney courses.

Prof. Barnard later went on to establish postgraduate public health dentistry courses in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, and in fact had a strategic vision of creating an international and interactive network of these erstwhile postgraduate students from many countries.

Amongst his many accomplishments, he was appointed a consultant to the South Pacific Commission, The World Dental Federation, and the World Health Organization.

The title of Honorary Fellow of the University of Sydney was conferred upon him in 2002 in recognition of his unique contribution to the international standing of Australia and of the University, becoming the first dentist to be awarded this title.

A life in service to public health

Prof. Barnard was deeply instrumental in tackling the important issues of tooth decay rates in children in NSW, thanks to his research work and many clinical surveys, both before and after the introduction of water fluoridation and of fluoride in readily available tooth maintenance preparations available to Australians.

He spearheaded a landmark study of Tamworth schoolchildren spanning an amazing 24 years, from 1963 through to 1988, tracking a pre-fluoridation DMFT rating of 8.4, through to the 1988 DMFT rating of 0.9, placing this cohort 12 years ahead of the World Health Organization’s goal of a DMFT rating of 1.0 by the year 2000.

A consistently high rate of sugar consumption (at about 50kg per person annually) throughout the period of the study created the perfect control and further proof of the effectiveness of fluoridation, as shown by Prof. Barnard’s research.

His impressive body of research led to the Sydney University conferring the prestigious doctorate in dental science on Prof. Barnard in 1991, and the Alan Docking Science Award from the International Association for Dental Research in 1993.

Prof. Barnard and the ADA

As a research consultant to the ADA since 1961, he produced publications detailing dental workforce, dental practices, and cost of dentistry. The most useful source for the dental profession, his seminal work, was aptly titled Facts and Figures. We are fortunate to have such a rich documentation of his writings. For services to dentistry, an Honorary Life Membership was conferred upon him by the ADA in 2001.

Prof. Barnard also worked for a number of years chronicling the history of the ADA, channelling his deep and abiding knowledge of the profession generally, and the ADA in particular. His work formed an important part of the documentation of a profession he loved deeply and to which he devoted his life. Even well into his retirement, he was still a common sight in the ADA’s headquarters in Sydney, working determinedly in this significant service to the ADA and the profession.

Remembering a man of vision

Dr Shanti Sivaneswaran had the privilege of doing her postgraduate studies with Prof. Barnard and later worked with him running these courses till he retired in 2002.

Prof. Barnard inspired and deeply touched the lives of many students. When I attended my first lecture in 1983, I thought I was walking into a United Nation meeting! With students from many different cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and demographics there was never a dull moment.

Being the ultimate diplomat, he was able to communicate and moderate across these differences, always maintaining a cohesive and interactive group despite its heterogeneity.

Every student, every mind was important to him. He spent many hours and walked the extra mile with his students in their journey to succeed.

When I attend dental meetings internationally, I am always approached by a colleague who is high up in oral health, in ministries or academia, who asks about Prof. Barnard and reminisces about this great man.

He had this innate ability in bringing out strengths, and his generous mentoring helped students bestow confidence in their abilities.

I often think of Professor Hiroshi Ogawa, who currently works at Nîgata University. I remember vividly Hiroshi arriving from Japan – a young, softly spoken man with little English, lacking in self-confidence.

When Hiroshi completed the course, he was transformed to a more confident person and went on to work with the World Health Organization in different capacities.

Professor Sameer Bhole recently wrote in his tribute to Prof Barnard’s daughter Pauline: “I owe everything that I achieved in my life to Prof. Barnard and his teaching”.

Peter I am indebted to you, for your guidance and mentoring especially when I was first appointed to the Faculty of Dentistry. As a new migrant it was daunting to enter a male dominated ‘white’ environment as the university faculty looked in the 1980s.

I have since enjoyed and cherished working with the faculty for 27 years. Inspired, I continued your work on fluoridation, resulting in NSW having one of the highest coverages in fluoridation in the world under an enabling legislation.

/ADA Public Release. View in full here.