Edwin Rosenstiel died peacefully at his home in Putney on 29 July 2006 aged 93. Born in Berlin on 22 June 1913, Ed had a long, distinguished career in dental education, retiring in 1978 as Reader in Conservative Dentistry and Honorary Consultant at King's College London. After a traumatic childhood, he came to the UK as a student in 1934, decided to switch from mathematics to dentistry, then went back to Germany for a couple of years before returning to England permanently in January 1938. Ed and Connie, his wife, met in Germany in 1934 and married in London in 1940, celebrating 66 years of marriage on 20 April this year. He helped her escape to England in 1939. It goes without saying that those early years were terrible times to be German Jewish, and Ed and Connie worked hard to get people out of the country.

He graduated LDS at Manchester University in 1947. After a Houseman position, he was recruited by Dr Ralph Cocker, Director of the Dental Department at King's, to teach Conservative Dentistry. The Conservative Dentistry Department at King's at that time was located in a converted ward in the main hospital building and his long-time colleagues included Wilfred Collier and Clifford Schreiber and Kenneth Liddelow in prosthetic dentistry. He was much involved in the planning that went into a new purpose-built building that was opened in 1966. Ed applied his interest in mathematics to his academic career. His work on the retention of inlays and crowns as a function of their geometrical form, which was the basis of his MDS degree awarded by the University of London in 1961, is still cited in prosthodontic textbooks today. One of Ed's distinguished colleagues at King's, Professor Roger Watson, speaks of the assistance Ed provided him early in his career, helping validate Professor Watson's seminal studies on the masticatory function of complete denture wearers.

...many have spoken of his enormous impact on their philosophy in dentistry.

With his high standards and obsessive personality, his height and his European accent, Ed was initially intimidating to students. However, many have spoken of his enormous lasting impact on their philosophy in dentistry. Many are thankful that they received such superb teaching, particularly in the use of gold alloy. Many of his students have gone on to have distinguished careers, and they acknowledge Ed's role in starting them on their success. They particularly remember his attention to detail — which is so important in restorative dentistry.

After retirement, Ed returned to mathematics and he was awarded the BSc degree by Birkbeck College, University of London in 1983. All their life, Connie and Ed travelled, enjoying trips to Europe and South America long before the era of jet travel. He is survived by his wife Connie, née Meumann, sons Colin and Stephen, three grandchildren and generations of King's dental surgeons.