Portrait
details: Painted by Esprit Barthet; commissioned by
Dental Association of Malta and presented to Prof. Lapira in 1958;
donated by
the Lapira family to Faculty of Dental Surgery, 1991; formal
presentation
ceremony held on 3rd January 1993.
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Egidio
Lapira
Professor
of
Dentistry
Born: Hamrun
16/02/1897; died: 08/12/1970. Education: Lyceum
[1908-13] and University of Malta [1918-22];
postgraduate
studies in dental surgery at Rome University. Qualifications:
Dip.D.S. (hon.) [Malta, 1922];
Dip.D.S. [Rome, 1934];
F.D.S. [R.C.S.,
Engl.., 1948]; F.D.S. [R.S.S., Edin., 1951]; F.I.C.D. [USA, 1959];
D.Sc. (hon. Causa) [Malta, 1954]. Career:
Appointed as the first dental surgeon in Malta to teach at
the general
hospital [1925]; eventually appointed the first professor of dental
surgery
[1943] and first dean of the Faculty of Dentistry [1951-54] at the University of Malta. Served in
several
University Boards and Committees. Achievements:
Lapira is considered
"the father of dentistry" in Malta. He was a
founder member
of the Dental Association of Malta [1926] and a member of a number of
international dental organisations, even serving as hon. vice-president
of the
International Congress of the Federation Dentaire Internationale in
1952 and
1957 and was an active member of the Education and Oral Hygiene
Commissions of
the F.D.I. [1934-56]. Served as a member of the Malta Medical Council
[from
1959]. During World War I served in the Valletta Military Hospital [St. John
Ambulance
Association; during World War II attended oral casualties. He was
awarded a
D.Sc. honoris causa in 1954 by the University of Malta and the
Order of the British Empire [O.B.E.] in
1959
References: Lapira,
Professor Egidio. Malta
Who’s Who 1965. A Biographical dictionary. Progress Press, Malta, 1965,
p.152; Portraits at the Medical
School.
Maltese
Medical Journal, 1993, V[1]:p.36; C. Savona-Ventura: Lapira,
Egidio. Maltese
biographies of the twentieth century [eds. M.J. Schiavone; L.J.
Scerri].
PIN, Malta,
1997, p.364.
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