Nasser Barghi, DDS, MA, retires after 51 years as a pioneer of esthetic dentistry
Former students and colleagues from across the profession came to honor the faculty member whose research and teaching on bonded porcelain helped shape modern esthetic dentistry
A standing-room-only crowd gathered at the Center for Oral Health Care and Research on Sept. 30, 2026, to celebrate the retirement of , after 51 years at 91做厙 (91做厙) School of Dentistry. Faculty, staff, current and former students, and colleagues from 91做厙 and beyond joined to thank a teacher, researcher and clinician whose influence reaches dental practices around the world.
Barghi, a professor in the Department of Predoctoral Dental Education and former head of the schools Division of Esthetic Dentistry, is widely recognized as a pioneer in the field. His research on bonding porcelain to tooth structure in the 1980s and 1990s helped make porcelain veneers and other bonded ceramic restorations a reliable treatment, and his esthetic dentistry course has been part of the schools predoctoral curriculum for more than three decades.
Barghi earned his DDS from the University of Tehran School of Dentistry in 1967 and completed postdoctoral training in fixed prosthodontics at Temple University School of Dentistry. He joined the San Antonio faculty in 1975 and earned a masters degree from 91做厙 in 1983.
His research focused on bonding new esthetic materials and on etched porcelain bonded restorations. He has authored or co-authored more than 185 articles and abstracts, served as a senior scientist at the Biomaterials Research Center at The University of 91做厙 Health Science Center at Houston Dental Branch, and is a past president of the American Equilibration Society. He has presented more than 1,000 lectures and hands-on courses in more than 35 countries. In 2021, the School of Dentistry named him its Master Clinician Award recipient.
Tributes from students and colleagues
Dean , opened the ceremony with a review of Barghis career and legacy.
For more than five decades, Dr. Barghi has shaped how our students and our profession approach esthetic dentistry. His research on bonded porcelain changed what was possible for patients, and his teaching has reached thousands of our graduates. We are grateful for everything he has given this school, said Hargreaves.
Diane Sullivan, DDS, chair of the Department of Predoctoral Dental Education, spoke next, thanking Barghi for the mentorship he gave her and generations of students. She said it was difficult to put into words what he has meant to the university.
The floor then opened to guests. A former student of the International Dentist Education Program said Barghi became one of the most important people in her life. He taught her to keep an open mind, to treat learning and teaching others as a responsibility, and not to take herself too seriously. She described a clinician whose patients loved him and who practiced with humanity, and said his contributions to bonding and esthetics changed the profession and opened possibilities for dentists and patients that many people never see. His example, she said, made her believe anything was possible. She also shared a lesson he taught through a question. When life feels heavy, what do you see? he would ask. The answer is beauty.
Another former student, now chair of the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry, spoke next. He said Barghis passion lit a fire in him that has never gone out, and that his influence extends well beyond the students and patients he worked with directly. It is, he said, woven into the fabric of the profession.
Carlos Escobar Palma, DDS, director of digital dentistry at the school, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to work closely with Barghi and said he never imagined he would have the chance to cross paths with him. What matters most, he said, is the person Barghi is, someone who always puts patients and students first.
Other students and colleagues shared their gratitude and experiences with Barghi, including Bill Robbins, DDS; John D. Rugh, DDS, PhD; and Thomas Hummert, DDS. They thanked Barghi for his friendship and mentorship, called him the porcelain veneer guru and noted that everything he did was clinically significant.
Anibal Diogenes, DDS, PhD, associate dean for clinical affairs, and Ariana Soto, practice operations manager, spoke on behalf of the Office of Patient Care, thanking Barghi for the patients he and his students have restored over the years. Diogenes said he hopes to have the same kind of impact on others through mentorship and example. Soto spoke about how deeply Barghi cares about the people around him and his advocacy for students and colleagues, noting that he consistently gives the credit back to them.
A current student offered a tribute of her own. Barghi had heard her humming in clinic and kept asking until she agreed to sing at his celebration. After her performance, Sullivan presented Barghi with a plaque recognizing his 51 years of service.
When Barghi took the podium, he thanked the students, faculty and staff he has worked alongside, saying he feels fortunate to have been part of such an exceptional group. Early in his career, he said, he learned to put his energy into working with students. About 40 years ago, he was asked to look into a clinical problem and started a program to address it. Within six months, he said, it was known throughout the field, and he credited that success to the students who did the work.
He closed by thanking his wife of 50 years, his children, and the friends and colleagues in the room.
The School of Dentistry is grateful to Dr. Barghi for 51 years of teaching, research and service, and for the generations of dentists who carry his work and teaching into their own practices.