Kevin Lewis, one of the most important voices in UK dentistry, has died at the age of 76.
From general practice to dentolegal leadership, and a later role as beloved ambassador and commentator, he helped the dental profession navigate a changing landscape for more than 50 years.
His work, marked as much by reinvention as by his trademark combination of insight and warmth, touched the lives of thousands of dental professionals.
Kevin qualified in 1971, spending two decades in general practice before taking an additional role at Dental Protection that bloomed from dentolegal adviser to dental director over 27 years. Not to be tempted with a quiet life, after stepping down in 2016, he played a pivotal role in building the College of General Dentistry, holding titles from trustee to ambassador but always remaining at the heart of an organisation of which he was fiercely proud.
Just a few years later, in 2019, he took those years of knowledge to the British Dental Association as a special consultant to its BDA Indemnity product.
Kevin Lewis: insight and humour
Kevin took up the role of consultant editor of Dentistry in 2006, leaving his associate editorship of Dental Practice to bring his insight and commentary to an even larger audience.
From the very first issue, Kevin Lewis’ leader in Dentistry cemented his status as the most insightful voice on the state of dentistry in the UK. Over almost 20 years, despite other roles that took him across the world even during periods of major global disruption – not to mention his own ill health – he never missed an issue.
He was a prolific and talented writer, dissecting the status quo with startling clarity and irrepressible humour. This combination was classically Kevin: anyone who knew him could picture the twinkle in his eye as he delivered yet another paragraph that was as bang on the mark as it was hysterically funny.
And yet his command of the written word paled in comparison to the impression he left in person – where his incisive wit and infectious smile took his lectures to another level. No surprise that he remained in-demand on the podium for his entire career.
This was all paired with a power of recall that verged on uncanny, for anything from the fine print of a policy document to the detail of conversations from years past.
It needed to be. To meet Kevin was to remember him: his generosity with his time and wisdom left everyone who spoke to him with an impression that refused to fade, and saw many a conversation at dental events start with ‘you probably don’t remember me Kevin, but we met…’
Invariably, Kevin would remember them. That was simply who he was.
A champion of dentistry
He was a stalwart champion of ethical and professional standards, taking aim at any practice he deemed less than ethical, but never failed to champion the work of the dental profession he loved – and that loved him back.
If any life can be measured by the accolades it received, then Kevin’s long list of titles is proof of how beloved he was by his community.
An honorary member of the dental associations of Britain, Ireland and New Zealand, as well as the British Society for Restorative Dentistry, he was voted into the Dentistry Top 50 every year since its inception – and recognised as the most influential person in dentistry by his peers four consecutive times in its 20-year publication.
In June 2025, he was awarded the College Medal by the College of General Dentistry – the college’s highest accolade – in recognition of a life spent in service to the profession.
Kevin Lewis passed away peacefully on 30 July 2025, surrounded by his family.
He leaves behind an indelible example of what it is to be a dental professional – passionate, exacting, but above all, human.
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