Alan Donald Wilson was a distinguished dental materials scientist and co-inventor of glass-ionomer cement. He was born in Bow, in the East End of London, the only child of Thomas Arthur Wilson and Louisa Harriett Wilson née Pruden. His early childhood was spent in Hackney, but at the outbreak of the Second World War he moved with his parents to the Midlands and was educated at Laxton Grammar School, Oundle, Northamptonshire. In 1946 he went to University College, Nottingham to study chemistry and graduated in 1949 with a first-class BSc degree from London University. He went to work at the Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC) in London, then part of the Civil Service. His early work was on chemical analysis, and, from 1952, he spent several years on secondment at the Geological Survey, where he gained expertise in geochemistry. In 1964 he moved back to the LGC and was tasked with undertaking his first studies in dental materials science, looking into dental silicate cement. His research showed that dental silicates are not true silicates, but a mixture of metal phosphates, the balance and hydration states of which determine the properties, including durability, of the set material. His team produced a series of classic papers, including one published in *Nature* (‘Formation of dental silicate cement’ *Nature*. 1970 Jan 17;225[5229]:272-3). Having established an understanding of the chemistry of dental silicates, Wilson, working with Brian Kent, then set about improving them, inventing glass-ionomer cement. He outlined the work leading up to the invention in a 1996 paper ‘A hard decade’s work: steps in the invention of the glass-ionomer cement’ (*J Dent Res*. 1996 Oct;75[10]:1723-7). He published over 200 papers during his career and co-authored three books on cement chemistry, including *Glass-ionomer cement* (Chicago, Quintessence, 1988). He led the materials research team at the LGC for 24 years until his retirement in 1988. He was also a member and chairman of the British Standards committee on dental materials. In 1979 he was presented with the Wilmer Souder award of the International Association for Dental Research. In 1988 the materials technology group at the LGC was given the Queen’s Award for Technological Achievement, and in 1992 Wilson was awarded an OBE and became a fellow of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. In retirement he was an honorary research fellow at the Eastman Dental Institute (University College London) and the Dental Institute at King’s College London. He was also active in his local community in Liphook, Hampshire, where he wrote for the community magazine, was director of studies for the local University of the Third Age and ran a chess club. He also wrote a memoir *Hackney memories* (London, The History Press, 2004). In 1951 he married Margaret Hendley. Wilson died just before Christmas 2011 from prostate cancer.