First Patrick D. Sculley Board of Regents Award Presented to USU Dental School Graduate

By Sarah Marshall

Army Capt. (Dr.) Michael Segall receives the

Patrick D. Sculley DDS Board of Regents

Award. (Image credit: Tom Balfour)

On May 19, in front of a packed auditorium filled with fellow students, family, faculty, staff and alumni, Army Capt. (Dr.) Michael Segall became the first Uniformed Services University (USU) graduate to receive the Patrick D. Sculley DDS Board of Regents Award, presented during the USU Class of 2017 graduation awards ceremony.  Sculley, a retired Army major general and former Army Dental Corps chief, also previously served as USU’s Southern Region Senior Vice President for University Programs and founding Executive Dean of USU’s Postgraduate Dental College (PDC), prior to retiring in the spring of 2016. 

The Board of Regents Award is the highest honor a graduating USU student can receive and is presented to one student from the university’s PDC, Graduate School of Nursing, School of Medicine, and Graduate Education programs. Recipients must have demonstrated superior academic performance and professional excellence, as well as commitment to serving fellow students and the community. Recipients must be considered a role model in leadership and scholarship, both as an individual and as a team member.  The Sculley Award also emphasizes excellence in research. 

Segall said the award validated the countless, exhausting hours he devoted to his endeavors, including his research project, “Shear Bond Strength of Metal Brackets to Zirconia Conditioned with Various Primer-Adhesive Systems,” which also recently earned him the American Association of Orthodontists Joseph E. Johnson Award, beating out more than 60 international contenders.

Segall’s research project was part of the requirements to earn his Master of Science degree in Oral Biology from USU, and while he was provided a list of research topics to choose from, he said he came up with the idea for this project on his own, based on his previous experience working on adult orthodontic patients. Segall wanted to test the efficacy of adhering brackets onto popular ceramic crowns, having found that adult patients with braces often have crowns. The traditional approach to attaching braces to a crown involves the use of a metal band, which wraps around the tooth circumferentially. This presents challenges to effective dental hygiene and can lead to a greater risk for gum tissue irritation (gingivitis). He carried out his research in a lab setting by adhering brackets onto the latest prosthodontic crowns, made out of a strong ceramic called zirconia. He tested various primer-adhesive mixtures, and found that those with special compounds that chemically bonded to zirconia, led to better adhering brackets.

Dr. Thomas Schneid, right, congratulates Army Capt. (Dr.) Michael Segall. (Image credit: Tom Balfour)

He added that these outcomes will need to be tested in a clinical setting, and a challenge will be determining how to effectively polish crowns, post-treatment, returning them back to their smooth surface, but he said, “This is a stepping stone to further projects.”

Dr. Thomas Schneid, Executive Dean of USU’s Postgraduate Dental College, noted that what Segall has already achieved just one year out of training is incredible and speaks volumes to the synergy between the dental residency programs and the University. He added that Segall’s project has the potential to impact not only our military population, but also the civilian population, and quite possibly the industry. “It’s very gratifying,” he said.

The Sculley Board of Regents Award came as a surprise, but, he said, “It’s nice to have recognition from your peers and the University.” What really gives him satisfaction, though, is serving his country, and giving his best to those who have given so much to this country.