Army Dentistry Timeline

13 November 2024 – MAJ Matthew Firestone, CPT Brent Harney and CPT Bradley Thomson are recognized as recipients of the 2024 Bernier Dental Research Award. The competition is designed to recognize dental research in the Army Dental Corps and to select the best scientific research papers written by graduating or recently graduated dental residents.

MAJ Firestone’s manuscript, “Comparing Flexural Strength, Marginal Gap, and Internal Fit between Milled and 3D-Printed Definitive and Provisional Crown Materials,” takes first place.

In second place is CPT Harney’s manuscript, “The Effect of Liposomal Bupivacaine on Post-Operative Pain Visits and Opioid Usage After Third Molar Extraction at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center.”

CPT Thomson’s manuscript, “Comparing the Accuracy of Conventional Gypsum Dental Casts and Printed Dental Casts Using Three-Dimensional Analysis,” receives third-place recognition.

LTC Robert Masterson was program director for all three winners, as well as being CPT Harney’s research mentor. MAJ Eric Hu was research mentor for both MAJ Firestone and CPT Thomson.

The annual competition was established more than 28 years ago. It is named for Major General Joseph L. Bernier, who is credited with advancing dental education and military dental research. MG Bernier was the 14^th chief of the U.S. Army Dental Corps.