Dr. Margherita Santoro is a Board Certified Orthodontist who has been practicing Orthodontics since 1992. She holds a DDS degree from Columbia University in New York. At Columbia University, Dr. Santoro also earned her three-year Orthodontic Degree and an MA in Dental Science. In 1998, she was recruited by Columbia to become a member of the teaching staff. 

In 2005, as an Associate Professor at Columbia, Dr. Santoro was chosen for the position of Postdoctoral Program Director of the Division of Orthodontics. She held the position until 2011 when she transitioned to full-time private dental practice in Acton, Massachusetts. Her duties as a Program Director included direct supervision of dentists as they treated patients in a large clinical setting while pursuing their post-graduate training in Orthodontics. She also designed and regularly upgraded the specialty academic curriculum and supervised the clinical testing of newly introduced materials and techniques.

Over the years, Dr. Santoro’s role at Columbia has provided her with valuable exposure to technological innovations and biological discoveries concerning the orthodontic profession as they have developed. Thanks to excellent relations with her Columbia University colleagues—and practicing dentistry in Manhattan for 14 years before moving to Massachusetts—she has had the opportunity to treat, with an ethical and compassionate approach, many patients affected by complex malocclusions requiring special treatment and requesting second opinions.

Dr. Santoro also functioned as the responsible Orthodontist of the Craniofacial/Cleft Palate Team at Columbia University/Presbyterian Hospital, where she collaborated with surgeons, geneticists, speech therapists, physicians and pediatricians, psychologists, and ear, nose, and throat specialist to provide the appropriate care for young children affected by craniofacial syndromes. Her professional experiences have given Dr. Santoro a wide range of expertise, including interdisciplinary treatment for children and adults, customized treatment plans for patients who present with the most complex orthodontic problems (including surgical and growth related problems), and treatment of medically compromised patients. 

Dr. Santoro’s research activities have focused on the study of metal alloys, in conjunction with the School of Engineering at Columbia University, and Root Resorption as a consequence of orthodontic treatment. Her publications have been included in the mandatory reading for the American Board of Orthodontics Exams, and she has been elected to join invitation-only institutions such as the E.H. Angle Society of Orthodontists and the Glenda Garvey Medical Society. Dr. Santoro has also been honored with several awards, including the Orthodontic Alumni Award for Clinical Excellence and the Award for Research Excellence, In 2004, Dr. Santoro was the recipient of the Subtenly, Baker, Eastman Award from American Association of Orthodontists Foundation (AAOF).

Dr. Santoro has lectured extensively, both nationally and internationally. She has served as President of the Columbia University Orthodontic Alumni Society and on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Angle Orthodontist, World Journal of Orthodontics, and Orthodontic Practice.

Dr. Santoro obtained her American Board of Orthodontics Certification in 2005, and she is an active member of the following organizations:

• American Association of Orthodontists
• American Dental Association
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Massachusetts Dental Society
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E.H. Angle Society of Orthodontists
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Northeastern Society of Orthodontists
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American Cleft-Palate Craniofacial Association
• Orthodontic Alumni Society of Columbia University (Past President)
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Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society
• Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society