Dr. Basil Bibby: early fluoride investigator and intellectual provocateur.

Dr. Basil Bibby assumed many roles during his productive career as a researcher, teacher, and administrator. Although best known for his research on oral microbiology and on foodstuff as it relates to dental caries, and for fostering the careers of many distinguished researchers, he played an important generative role in determining the local cariostatic effects of fluoride. His seminal work in this area has not received its due because of the mixed success of his initial clinical studies. We hope that a review of his contributions in this area will bring those contributions into focus and illustrate his open personality and multi-dimensional approach to research.