Burton Edelstein
DDS, MPH
Nationally Recognized Pediatric Dentist
Professor Emeritus (Dentistry & Public Health), Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Former Federal Medicaid/CHIP Commissioner
Burton L. Edelstein DDS MPH is Professor Emeritus of Dental Medicine and Health Policy & Management at Columbia University Medical Center where he is Special Lecturer at the College of Dental Medicine. A Board Certified Pediatric Dentist, he has dedicated his clinical, research, teaching, and advocacy career to advancing the oral health of socially disadvantaged children. Edelstein has served as Chairman of Population Oral Health Management at Columbia, Founding Director of the Children’s Dental Health Project in Washington DC, a federal Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commissioner, a Congressional Aide to the U.S. Senate Minority Leader, and President of a private dental group practice in Connecticut.
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A graduate of SUNY Binghamton Harpur College, SUNY Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, and the Harvard School of Public Health, Edelstein 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).
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Since 2008, Edelstein has been awarded over $9M to develop and test a novel pediatric dental caries prevention and disease management program called MySmileBuddy. The MySmileBuddy Program and its educational technology support value-based healthcare and interdisciplinary delivery models, address social determinants of health, build on established cariology science and behavior-change theory, and hold promise to enhance oral health equity through early intervention and redistribution of resources.