Linda’s Lifelong Mission
- Wits University
Dr Linda Greenwall chose to study at Wits because of the Dental School’s top reputation and because both her parents are Witsies.
Patient after patient enters Dr Linda Greenwall’s (Bachelor of Dental Science 1984) immaculate practice in Hampstead, London, knowing that despite the complexity of their dental condition, they will emerge with a new smile.
A prosthodontist and specialist in restorative dentistry, after graduating from Wits, Linda went to the UK where she studied for a further 15 years at Kings Dental Institute to specialise in prosthodontics. “I never planned to stay in the UK but I kept on studying to advance my training,” she explains.
Born and raised in Cape Town, Linda chose to study at Wits “because of the Wits Dental School’s top reputation and because both my parents are Wits graduates.”
Her father, Ryno Greenwall, graduated in dentistry in 1956 and her mother, Shirley Serman, graduated with a BA in 1954.
“My grandfather, Edward Greenwall, was the second in the family to study dentistry He and his brother Joseph both studied in London as there were no dental schools in South Africa in 1918 when Joseph enrolled at the London Hospital or in 1921 when Edward enrolled at Guy’s Hospital,” Linda explains. “Edward returned to South Africa and in 1923 established a longstanding practice at 89 Station Road in Observatory, Cape Town, and treated people from all walks. One of my four sons, Joseph Greenwall Cohen, is also a dentist, he graduated from Manchester Dental School, and did an MBA at the London Business School. In total, we’re a family of eight dentists.”
Linda has kept in contact with Wits and in February this year attended her class of 84’s 40th reunion. “We had an amazing time, with 25 members of my class attending in person and 10 on Zoom from all over the world, as well as several of our teachers and clinical staff,” she says. “When we were students, the dental school was still at the Hillbrow Campus, and it was wonderful to see the new pre-clinical school laboratory at the Medical School main campus with all the latest technology.”
Linda explains that her dental education at Wits was “second to none and our teachers were hard taskmasters, which was very good as they taught us to strive for excellence and precision. The standards very high, which continues to this day.”
“When I arrived in London it was a badge of honour to be a graduate of the Wits Dental School,” says Linda who rose through the ranks to the top of her profession. “As prosthodontists we reconstruct mouths that have been damaged in accidents or where there are tooth and jaw disorders or teeth worn down by severe tooth decay from diseases such as anorexia or a new disease affecting one in eight children in the UK called molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH). With MIH, the tooth cells are starved of oxygen and this results in the permanent teeth having white, brown or yellow marks on them and the enamel doesn’t form properly so they easily break down. MIH is linked to a range of causes, including antibiotics, polluted environments and birth defects.”
Dental wellness has been Linda’s lifelong mission and she has retained a strong presence in South Africa through the Dental Wellness Trust, a charity she established in 2012 and the Dental Wellness Foundation she established in South Africa in 2013. “We do dental outreach with 21 000 children in townships in greater Cape Town,” explains Linda who regularly visits South Africa. “Dental decay is the most common childhood disease world-wide and South African children from financially stressed homes often have severe dental problems because of eating too much sugar which is related to poverty and poor diets.
“We also work with 2000 children in Port Elizabeth and 2000 in Kimberley, the latter in partnership with Petra diamond mine. We check the children’s teeth and run the LiveSmart supervised tooth brushing programme for which we employ ‘Toothbrush Mamas’ to teach the children how to brush their teeth and wash their hands to stop the spread of germs. We also provide a mobile clinic in partnership with the University of the Western Cape and run 12 soup kitchens.”
Linda elaborates that many children from financially stressed homes do not have their own toothbrush. “The whole family uses one toothbrush and one of our aims is ‘one child one toothbrush’ in partnership with Colgate, where the toothbrushes are kept at school and each term they get a new toothbrush.”
The LiveSmart programme is also in Kenya where they work with 8000 children and in the UK where they work with 40 000 children. Linda is currently expanding the Dental Wellness Trust’s LiveSmart programme to Johannesburg and working closely with Wits in planned research studies and with the Wits for Good Programme to reach 50 schools in Johannesburg. She met with Vice-Chancellor Professor Zeblon Vilakazi in June to discuss future plans.
The maxim that the busiest people find the time to do more definitely applies to Linda. On top of her full-time schedule she fits in yoga, art, Zumba dancing, cooking and weekends with her family. She has also authored several dental books and a cook book called ‘Food Memories’, published this year. It tells the story of Linda’s life through food and the vital part food plays in culture and tradition – “how beloved recipes from our grandmothers are passed down to each generation, filled with precious memories and long-lasting heritage,” she says. Being a major proponent of reducing sugar in people’s diets, many of the recipes have been recreated with reduced sugar content but without sacrificing taste or flavour.