Dr Percy Raymond Begg (1898-1983) is remembered as an iconic orthodontic pioneer who revolutionized world orthodontics with his lightwire appliance and differential force concepts. He was born in Coolgardie, Western Australia but his accountant father soon brought the family to live in Adelaide. After leaving school he worked as a jackeroo in New South Wales before studying dentistry in Melbourne where he obtained the degrees of B.D.Sc. and L.D.S.

During his time in Melbourne, he was inspired to study orthodontics by a cousin, a nurse with crooked teeth and Dr Stanley Wilkinson. In 1924 and 1925, Dr Begg received his orthodontic education under the direction of Edward H. Angle at the famous Angle College of Orthodontia, Pasadena, California, USA.

Upon his return to Australia, Dr Begg established his practice in Adelaide and maintained it for 52 years, during which time he developed his treatment philosophy and appliance system. In 1926, Dr Begg was appointed as the first lecturer in orthodontics at The University of Adelaide and continued until compulsory retirement in 1963. Between 1959 and 1974, he lectured and conducted many technique courses in Australia, Europe, Japan and the United States.

Dr Begg received his doctorate (D.D.Sc.) in 1935 and published his concepts and appliance evolution in journal and text book form.

During his extraordinary career, Dr Begg received many honours and awards including: Honorary Life Membership of the Australian Society of Orthodontists and the Australian Dental Association; Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of Dental Surgeons, the International College of Dentists and the Academy of Dentistry Internationale; Honorary Professor of Orthodontics (Nippon Dental College, 1960); the Albert H. Ketcham Award; Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia (1981); and membership of the Pierre Fauchard Society.

Such has been the impact of Dr Begg’s contribution to dentistry that he has continued to be honoured posthumously with: establishment of a permanent display at the Adelaide Dental Hospital and a bronze plaque to his memory placed into the pavement of North Terrace as one of 169 eminent South Australians for the sesquicentenary in 1986; naming as one of 200 significant Australians for the bi-centennial celebrations in 1988; inclusion of the Begg appliance as one of the top 100 innovations since Federation in 2001; and, most recently, Dr Begg was inducted into the Pierre Fauchard Hall of Fame in 2007 as only the 18th dentist to ever be so honoured.

Orthodontics was his life’s labour of love.

"What history and experience teach is this -- that people and governments never have learnt anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it" (Georg Hegel, 1770-1831). Cautionary words, perhaps, but what is the evidence for bone-growing in orthodontics?