David DiBiase (1935 – 2001)

Born in 1935, David DiBiase studied dentistry at King’s College London, graduating in 1959. After serving in the RAF DiBiase went on to obtain his Diploma in Orthdontics in 1965 followed by the Fellowship. During his Senior Registrar training at the London and Whipps Cross Hospitals he was awarded the prestigious Chapman Prize for his essay on variations in morphology and their effect on incisor eruption. In 1971 Di Biase became the Consultant Orthodontist for Southend Hospital, leaving in 1989 to join the teaching staff at Barts and the London.

DiBiase published and lectured widely on orthodontics as well as developing new ideas such as the Southend clasp. His particular interest was in dento-facial orthopaedics for cleft neonates.

DiBiase played a significant role in the unification of the orthodontic societies to form the BOS. He chaired the first British Orthodontic Conference Committee in 1983. The first BOC was held in September 1986 in Bournemouth and was a great success. This was influential in the later unification. He was Chairman of the BSSO (1988-1990) and co-chairman of the Unification Working Party (1990-1993). Di Biase became the newly formed BOS’s first chairman (1994-1997) and was elected to the General Dental Council in June 1996. He was BOS President in 2000. He was awarded the Clifford Ballard Medal for outstanding services to orthodontics and was made a life member of the BOS in 2001.