Benjamin Dienstein

Benjamin Dienstein

A TRIBUTE TO DR. BENJAMIN DIENSTEIN

Dr. Benjamin Dienstein, longtime resident of Marin County, a distinguished dentist, clinical professor, teacher, lecturer, and author of many dental journal articles, has died at the age of 105. He is survived by his wife Julie, son Larry, daughter Dianne, and numerous relatives.
Ben, one of six children, was born to immigrant parents in 1915. He attended Stanford University, University of California Berkeley, and University of California San Francisco, where he earned his BA, BS, MS and DDS degrees. He was one of the pioneers of periodontal dentistry at UCSF. He helped establish its Periodontology Department and taught part-time at the UCSF Dental School for over 65 years until he was 102 years old. Throughout the years, he held various titles: Research Assistant, Lecturer, Instructor, Assistant Professor, and Clinical Instructor, and was a member of numerous committees. His private dental practice in Northern California lasted for more than 50 years.
Dr. Dienstein was a founding member and past president of the Northern California Society of Periodontology. He helped to establish the dental insurance, now known as Delta Dental. Dr. Ben associated himself with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, California Academy of Periodontology, Weinmann Periodontal Study Club, New York Academy of Sciences, and Royal Society of Health (Europe), among others. He has been honored with membership in the Mexican Periodontal Society and received the UCSF Alumni Association's highest honor, the Dental Medal of Honor.
To honor Dr. Ben and his contributions to generations of periodontology students at UCSF, a fund has been established in his honor to support research activities for UCSF students that Ben has championed for more than half a century. Remembrances would be gratefully appreciated if sent to the Dienstein Research Fund (B1501), University of California, San Francisco, P.O. Box 45339, San Francisco California 94145-0339.