Temple University will likely open its first-ever rural dental education center and clinic in Tamaqua.

The university’s Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry, along with the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership, is hoping to locate the school at the former Rite-Aid at 205 Center St.

Sen. Dave Argall (R-29) and Rep. Jamie Barton (R-124) noted that the announcement was made at this week’s PA Oral Health Summit.

If built, the facility will be a historic step toward addressing Pennsylvania’s growing shortage of dental professionals, especially in rural areas.

Once approved by the Temple University board of trustees, the proposed 24-chair education and clinic center will host 20 dental students who will complete their final two years of training in Tamaqua.

While there, they will provide critical dental services for residents of Schuylkill, Carbon and Luzerne counties.

Plans are to create housing for the students in a now-vacant building on West Broad Street owned by the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership.

The Kornberg School of Dentistry is also in discussion with Lehigh Carbon Community College to open a dental hygiene program that will train six to 10 students.

Argall, who chaired a public hearing of the Senate Majority Policy Committee earlier this year on the severe dental care shortages across Pennsylvania, and Barton praised this announcement as a major step forward for rural health care and the people of northeast Pennsylvania.

“When we held a Senate hearing in Tamaqua, we heard heartbreaking testimony about families driving hours just to find basic dental care,” Argall said. “We learned that if your dentist retires, it can take months to find a new one. This joint effort between Temple University, LCCC and local and state partners will not only help fill that gap — it will create new jobs, expand health care access and build a lasting foundation for rural health education in Pennsylvania.”

“Pennsylvania is in desperate need of dentists and dental hygienists in our rural counties,” Barton added. “Temple University’s new rural dental school coming to Tamaqua addresses our rural dentist shortage and opens up general dental care in downtown Tamaqua for residents of Schuylkill and surrounding counties.”

Dr. Amid Ismail, dean of the Kornberg School of Dentistry, said the project is the culmination of years of planning to bring high-quality dental education and care to the communities that need it most.

The new education center and clinic will test a new model of addressing access to dental care in rural Pennsylvania where students live and study for two years. The clinic will provide comprehensive care including orthodontics and implant-supported restorations. It will also create at least 20 new jobs.

Once approved, the new dental education center and clinic will be made possible through investment from Temple University, state and federal grants, private donations and Tamaqua’s participation in Pennsylvania’s City Revitalization and Improvement Zone program, which allows local and state tax revenue generated within the zone to be reinvested in local redevelopment projects.

Renovations for the education center and student housing are expected to begin this year, with the center projected to open in September.