Burton L. Edelstein, MPH, DDS, BA

Burton L. Edelstein DDS MPH is Columbia University professor emeritus of dental medicine and health policy and management. He is a pediatric dentist who has dedicated his clinical, policy, research, teaching, and advocacy career to improving the oral health of socially-disadvantaged children. Edelstein practiced in Connecticut and taught part-time at Harvard and the University of Connecticut for 20 years before engaging in full-time, pediatric oral health policy. In Washington DC, he served as a health aide to US Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) during enactment of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). He managed a US Department of Health and Human Services interagency oral health initiative, directed the US Surgeon General’s Workshop on Children and Oral Health, and served as commissioner of the federal Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission. Edelstein participated in four Institute of Medicine projects, testified before Congress multiple times, and provided support to the Government Accountability Office’s dental studies. He founded the Children’s Dental Health Project, a DC-based pediatric oral health policy and advocacy center that led successful efforts to secure federal legislation mandating dental benefits for children in public and private insurance. 
 
At Columbia, Edelstein served as chair of Population Oral Health Management and established an dual degree program with the Mailman School of Public Health that has graduated more than 50 dental students and primary care dentists. He directed seven federal training grants for predoctoral students, postdoctoral trainees and faculty totaling over $16M; led a multidisciplinary research team that developed and validated MySmileBuddy – a web-based, education and family-support technology to prevent and manage childhood caries – with over $9M in federal and foundation support, and conducted research in oral health care delivery and financing. Upon his retirement in 2021 he and colleagues moved his course on population oral health management online. Edelstein’s 200+ publications, including journal articles, editorials, policy briefs, whitepapers, textbook chapters, and online modules and symposia, reflect his broad range of academic and policy interests.  
 
Edelstein is a graduate of SUNY Binghamton/Harpur College, SUNY Buffalo Dental School, and the Harvard School of Public Health. He trained at SUNY Upstate Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital. His work has been nationally recognized by associations of pediatric (AAPD) and public health dentistry (ASTDD, AAPHD, MSDA), dental students (ASDA), dental societies (ACD, ICD, CDS, CSDA), the dental research community (FNIDCR), foundations (Shils, NYSDAF, OHA) and educators (Maryland, Harvard, Columbia, ADEA).