TAMAQUA — The Temple University Board of Trustees officially committed to locating the Kornberg School of Dentistry’s first rural dental education center and clinic in downtown Tamaqua during their quarterly meeting this week, according to Rep. Jamie Barton (R-124) and Sen. Dave Argall (R-29).
The 24-chair education center and clinic will host 10 third-year and 10 fourth-year dental students for their final two years of training and provide comprehensive care to underserved patients every day. Temple’s vote confirmed it will be located at the former Rite Aid at 205 Center St., Tamaqua. The first class of third-year students will begin their training in fall 2026.
The board of trustees also committed to student housing at 24 W. Broad Street, Tamaqua, a nearby vacant building that formerly housed Tire Pros and Scheid’s Department Store. Renovations to this downtown landmark will begin soon.
“The Tamaqua Dental Clinic is a win for all involved,” Barton said. “Students get a chance to learn in a true clinical setting, while Schuylkill County residents get access to critical dental services that can be hard to find in the more rural parts of our area. Fixing the shortage of rural health care is a top priority in Pennsylvania, and this dental clinic will help to address it. This has been a collaborative effort between the federal government, the state government, the greater Tamaqua community and Temple University. Economic and community growth is a team sport!”
“Many people have shared with me how difficult it is to make a dental appointment in our region,” Argall said. “Thanks to this commitment from Temple University and the hard work of many local leaders and volunteers, we can solve this problem right here in Tamaqua.”
Barton and Argall praised the many partners who are turning this dream into a reality, including Dean Amid Ismail of the Kornberg School of Dentistry, Congressman Dan Meuser (PA-09), Micah Gursky and the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership, the Tamaqua City Revitalization and Improvement Zone Authority, and the John E. Morgan Foundation. Temple is also now working with several local community colleges to train more much-needed dental hygienists and assistants.
In June 2025, Argall chaired a public hearing about the severe dental care crisis in rural Pennsylvania. Dental professionals shared personal accounts about how the lack of care affects the health of their patients, leading to lethal infections and other diseases, describing children with abscesses missing school and elderly patients with broken dentures forced to go on soft diets. The lack of dental education in rural Pennsylvania was mentioned as a key barrier, with testifiers noting that students who train in rural areas are more likely to open practices in rural areas.
CONTACTS:
Jake Gillespie (Barton)
Seth Hubler (Argall)