Louis Mackenzie, general dentist, clinical lecturer and head dental officer at Denplan, has died at the age of 55.
Louis passed away shortly before Christmas. Tributes have flooded in from the dental profession, citing his impressive contribution to dentistry and hailing him an ‘incredible figure’ and ‘good friend’.
Born in Staffordshire, Louis graduated from the University of Birmingham in 1990.
He worked as a general practitioner at Selly Park Dental Centre, Birmingham, for more than 30 years, while firmly establishing himself as a mentor to many in the profession. In this time, he also became a clinical lecturer at the University of Birmingham School of Dentistry and King’s College London.
Delivering postgraduate lectures nationally and internationally, his teaching focused on direct and indirect restorative techniques, minimally invasive dentistry and clinical photography. Louis also ran a series of popular hands-on courses.
Warmth and generosity
Denplan, part of Simplyhealth, released a statement describing him as having an ‘extraordinarily positive impact’ on dentistry.
‘We start the new year with heavy hearts.
‘Lots of you may already be aware that just before Christmas, our dear colleague and head dental officer Louis Mackenzie passed away.
‘We are deeply saddened by the loss of Louis, who had an extraordinarily positive impact on Denplan, the whole dental industry and the people he worked alongside.
‘We will miss his kindness, his warmth and the generosity with which he shared his invaluable expertise with others in dentistry.
‘Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends.’
Deeply saddened
Writing on Linkedin, Tif Qureshi said: ‘So sad to hear about the loss of a good friend and such a fantastic, uniquely funny and entertaining teacher in dentistry – Louis Mackenzie – he was one of those people who wanted to do the right thing and teach dentistry the right way.’
Guy Hiscott, content director at FMC, said: ‘Dentistry has lost one of its brightest lights with the passing of our friend Louis. His gifts were legion: the humanity, humour and warmth that were his trademark belied a supremely gifted analytical mind that helped better the entire profession.
‘Louis will be remembered as clinician of astonishing knowledge and insight, whose peerless ability as an educator will stand as an example to follow for generations to come. His legacy endures in the countless lives he touched, sharing an understanding of and passion for dentistry wherever he went.
‘All our love and thoughts go to his family for their loss. He leaves a gap that cannot be replaced, and we grieve with the dental community for his passing.’
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