Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • General
  • Published:

Arthur Bryan Wade (1922–2009), William George Cross (1916–2000) and their roles in the development of British periodontology in the 20th century

British Dental Journal volume 240, pages 112–116 (2026)Cite this article

Abstract

Bryan Wade was one of two people elected twice as President of the British Society of Periodontology. The other was Sir Wilfred Fish. Wade was on the scene just as the care of the periodontium was coming to the fore in the United Kingdom (UK), this being much more developed in the United States. He was in demand as a lecturer at home and abroad and honoured in several countries. Although the account is mostly about Wade, his early years were strongly influenced by George Cross, head of the UK's first periodontia department at the Eastman Dental Hospital and probably the first British specialist periodontologist, who in turn was much swayed by North American colleagues. In addition to developing services at the Royal Dental Hospital, Wade was heavily involved in the organisation of British and international societies to improve the care of periodontal patients.

Key points

  • Before the 1950s there was little periodontal care in the United Kingdom as opposed to the United States. For developments to take place, individuals with a special interest were needed.

  • Two early specialists in periodontology were George Cross at the Eastman Dental Hospital, followed by Bryan Wade at the Royal Dental Hospital.

  • Wade was heavily involved in developing both British and international specialist societies.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cross W G. The beginnings. In R Palmer, A Hallowes (eds) The British Society of Periodontology: The First Fifty Years. p 5. London: British Society of Periodontology, 1999.

  2. Wade A B. Periodontology in 1949. In R Palmer, A Hallowes (eds) The British Society of Periodontology: The First Fifty Years. p 9. London: British Society of Periodontology, 1999.

  3. Wade A B. Periodontology in 1949. In R Palmer, A Hallowes (eds) The British Society of Periodontology: The First Fifty Years. p 14. London: British Society of Periodontology, 1999.

  4. Gelbier S. William George Cross, MBBS, MS, BA, LDS RCS, MRCS, LRCP, FDS: the influence of America. Dent Hist 2004; 41: 7–18.

  5. Cross W G. Proposed English section of ARPA. Br Dent J 1949; 86: 22.

  6. Pack A. Personal communication. 2 January 2025.

  7. Kidd E. Personal communication. 3 January 2025.

  8. Benson E. David Manson Obituary. The Guardian (London) 13 November 2019.

  9. Preiskell H. Obituary: John Saville Zamet. Br Dent J 2007; 203: 222.

  10. Kidd E A, Wade A B. Penicillin control of swelling and pain after periodontal osseous surgery. J Clin Periodontol 1974; 1: 52–57.

  11. Ashley F. The first 50 years of the British Society of Periodontology: then and now. In R Palmer, A Hallowes (eds) The British Society of Periodontology: The First Fifty Years. pp 70–78. London: British Society of Periodontology, 1999.

  12. Gelbier S. Huia Masters (Pick) Pickard (1909-2002): a pioneer of restorative dentistry. Br Dent J 2022; 232: 407–411.

  13. Smith E G, Cottell B D. A History of the Royal Dental Hospital of London and School of Dental Surgery 1858–1985. p 132. London: Athlone Press, 1997.

  14. Wade A B. The early North Sea Conferences. In R Palmer, A Hallowes (eds) The British Society of Periodontology: The First Fifty Years. pp 23–26. London: British Society of Periodontology, 1999.

  15. Personalia. Br Dent J 1977; 142: 30.

  16. Wade A B. Nomenclature of diseases of the supporting tissues of the teeth. Parodontopathies 1952; 6: 156–162.

  17. Wade A B. Notes on personal biography. British Dental Association Library. Year unknown.

Download references

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to Helen Nield, Head of BDA Library and Knowledge Services, who sourced much material. Professors Angela Pack and Edwina Kidd kindly shared their reminiscences of Bryan Wade with the author. The British Society of Periodontology is to be thanked for allowing the author to use the three photographs from its 50th anniversary publication. The late Jeanne Cross shared, especially, reminiscences of George Cross's North American adventures.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Emeritus Professor of Dental Public Health and Dental Historian, London, United Kingdom

    Stanley Gelbier

Authors
  1. Stanley Gelbier
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stanley Gelbier.

Ethics declarations

The author declares no conflicts of interest.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Gelbier, S. Arthur Bryan Wade (1922–2009), William George Cross (1916–2000) and their roles in the development of British periodontology in the 20th century. Br Dent J 240, 112–116 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-025-8915-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Version of record:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-025-8915-9

Search

Advanced search

Quick links