19 August 2025 – The International Association of Paediatric Dentistry (IAPD) mourns the loss of Assoc. Prof. Roger K. Hall OAM, a pioneer of paediatric dentistry and one of the Association’s most distinguished Honorary Members.

Assoc. Prof. Hall graduated with honours from the University of Melbourne in 1956, receiving the Edward Joske Memorial Prize as Dux of Dental College. He went on to complete advanced training at the Eastman Dental Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London before returning to Melbourne to dedicate his career to children’s dentistry.

For almost four decades, Assoc. Prof. Hall served as Director of Dentistry at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, where he combined clinical excellence with remarkable compassion for children and families facing the most complex medical and dental challenges. He was also a much-loved teacher at the University of Melbourne, and later Visiting Professor in Strasbourg, Hong Kong, and Sydney, inspiring generations of paediatric dentists with his rigorous standards and deep humanity.

A leader in research, Assoc. Prof. Hall is internationally recognised for his pioneering descriptions of developmental dental and craniofacial syndromes, most notably the Solitary Median Maxillary Central Incisor (SMMCI) syndrome. His clinical observations helped unravel the links between dental anomalies, craniofacial development, and genetic conditions, work that remains influential in both paediatric dentistry and medical genetics today.

Within the IAPD, Assoc. Prof. Hall served as President in 1985. Together with Manny Album, he co-authored the first IAPD Congress Guidelines, adopted in 1987, which enshrined the principles of inclusivity and equal access that still govern our international meetings. In 1993 he was named an Honorary Member, one of the highest distinctions of our Association, recognising his extraordinary service to children and to our global profession.

Beyond his accomplishments, colleagues remember him for his generosity, humility, and genuine care for others. Whether mentoring young dentists, welcoming international visitors to Melbourne, or contributing to policy at IAPD, Assoc. Prof. Hall always combined quiet wisdom with warmth and kindness.

The IAPD community joins his family, friends, colleagues, and former students in mourning the passing of a remarkable man whose vision, scholarship, and humanity will continue to inspire.