Cape Town’s dental fraternity owes its sophistication today to the huge contribution of Jewish specialists in the field in previous years.
Retired maxillo-facial surgeon, a former President of the Western Cape branch of the South African Dental Association, Dr Mike Ostrofsky, explains that, “When I first moved to Cape Town 47 years ago, there were over 80 Jewish dentists practising here.”
Many of these dental specialists took on leadership roles in the profession. Retired periodontist, Dr Bernie Radomsky, explains: “In 1980, I joined the Cape Town branch of Alpha-Omega, an International organisation of Jewish dentists, becoming President of the Cape Town chapter in 1986/7.” The organisation was founded in the early 20th century in the USA because of the exclusion of Jews from dental schools in that country at the time. Mike was also involved in the association, serving for a while as the President of the Southern Hemisphere region. According to Mike, “Being involved in this organisation was particularly valuable since I was able to keep up to date with trends in the profession internationally through the contacts I made with dental professionals working elsewhere.”
Overseas training was crucial to gaining knowledge for specialist fields of dentistry. In addition to attending conferences overseas, some of these practitioners attended courses elsewhere, such as Dr Tony Ashberg, who learned specialist techniques in the USA, Israel and Switzerland.
It was through the access to international trends and knowledge that Mike, Drs Les Lazarus and Bernie Radomsky became the first in Cape Town to do implants. “In fact, the local Jewish dental developed into a profession offering unique specialist treatments,” Mike says. “By way of example, Dr Ralph Ginsberg became an orthodontist, while Les Lazarus specialised in prosthodontics. Others include Bernie Radomsky, a periodontist; Tony Ashberg, who qualified as an endodontist, doing root canal treatment; and Dr Mervyn Rosenberg, well-known for his work with crowns, bridges and dentures.”
Mervyn, in fact, became a specialist in a number of fields: following further studies, he became a specialist in prosthetic dentistry, with a special interest in dentures. “My practice was general dentistry, but I focused on geriatric dentistry, and offered full and partial dentures and implant supported dentures,” he explains. He subsequently also learned about laser surgery following a year in the United States.
Dr Lazarus, now aged 96, fondly remembers the early days of his long career as a prosthodontist. He explains that prosthodontics is a specialised field within dentistry, in which the practitioner constructs crown and bridgework attached to dental implants in place of removable dentures, a solution used in the past.
“When I started out around 1965,” he says, “there was no registrable training in South Africa in prosthodontics, so one had to go overseas to conferences and meetings to learn. I had the privilege of learning from Dr Arthur Lewin, whom I regard as the godfather of prosthodontics in South Africa. He had gained knowledge from travelling internationally and meeting specialists overseas. After a few visits to the USA I was accepted by the Medical and Dental Council and placed on the register in the specialty – at the time I was the only prosthodontist practising in Cape Town.”
Armed with the necessary skills and a caring approach, many of the Jewish dentists became extremely popular among both the Jewish and wider population of Cape Town. By way of example, a practice in Sea Point, run by Mervyn Rosenberg and Tony Ashberg, together with others at various times, became possibly the biggest dental practice in Cape Town.
Many of these pioneers in the field of dentistry in Cape Town also made extremely valuable contributions to the training of new practitioners. London-educated, Dr Ralph Ginsberg, who practised in Somerset West, Rondebosch and in the City Centre, lectured to postgraduate dentistry students at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) from 1976 until 2021. And, despite having retired recently and being an octogenarian, he regularly fields requests from the UWC Dentistry Faculty to come back! Both Mervyn Rosenberg and Tony Ashberg were similarly involved in lecturing to dentistry students. Mike Ostrofsky, too, educated dentists at UWC for 25 years, and he trained the first maxillo-facial surgeons of colour at Groote Schuur Hospital at the Head and Neck Clinic.
The commitment of these dental specialists touched many lives over a number of decades – from the 1960s until today. Their dedication to helping others was also seen in the depth of their charitable work. Many hours were spent treating indigent patients within the Jewish community and in the wider Cape Town society. Organisations such as Oranjia, the Jewish Helping Hand Society, Highlands House,and Glendale, among others, remember with gratitude the many occasions on which these busy practitioners offered their specialist treatment – among the best in the country – for free.
At Glendale home the dentists offered dental examinations on alternate Sundays, either treating them in their practices or referring them for major treatment under general anaesthetic. Bernie points out that, “In addition to the contribution of the dentists, the Cape Town Anaesthetic Clinic provided their clinic and anaesthetists at no fee, and private Jewish dental clinics treated indigent patients identified by the Anaesthetic Clinic for free.”
In terms of helping the wider community, after graduating from Wits University Dentistry School, Mervyn Rosenberg ran the dental practice in Ceres when the town was recovering from the devastating September 1969 earthquake, In lieu of his national army service. “This involved an enormous amount of community service,” he explains. “I gained great experience while treating a wide range of patients – prisoners, farmworkers, schoolchildren from poverty-stricken communities, and the elderly.” Similarly, Mervyn and Tony ran a once-a-week practice in Bonteheuwel.
It’s thanks to these pioneers in dentistry that Capetonians today have access to world-class dental health.
RECOLLECTIONS
Ralph Ginsberg comments that his best patient ever was not human. “I had to do a crossbite correction on an Alsatian dog once,” he recalls, “and the dog was perfectly behaved!”
Mervyn Rosenberg: “My Dental Assistant worked with me for 47 years. She was a very special woman who anticipated my every move and was loved by all the patients. She apparently had a Jewish grandfather.”
• Published in the March 2024 issue – Click here to start reading.
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