Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences is set to open a new school of dental medicine in 2025. And the Yakima-based dental school – which will be the second in the state – will have a Tri-Cities connection.

Students enrolled in the program will spend time in immersive training at one of three federally qualified health centers throughout Washington, one of which is the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic in Kennewick. The other two are in Yakima and Tacoma.

Delta Dental of Washington is a major supporter of PNWU’s School of Dental Medicine, providing $12 million in grant funding. The school also received $5 million in state funding and support from Washington State Dental Association Foundation, Pierce County, foundations and individual donors.

The nonprofit PNWU was established in 2005 and has the mission of educating and training health care professionals, “emphasizing service among rural and medically underserved communities throughout the Northwest.” The dental program will focus on increasing equitable access to dental care.

Nationwide, only 14% of dentists practice in rural areas, where 20% of the U.S. population resides, according to a news release announcing Delta Dental’s donation to the dental school. The release cited a 2022 article in the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics.

The dental school will be housed in a new 30,000-square-foot classroom and workspace building, to be named Delta Dental Equity Hall. Officials marked the start of construction at a recent groundbreaking.

“The school of dental medicine would not be a reality without the support and generosity of Delta Dental of Washington,” said Dr. Fotinos Panagakos, the school’s dean, in the release.

“Delta Dental Equity Hall will provide a state-of-the-art academic space for our program to train the next generation of primary care dentists focused on delivering care to the underserved in Washington, bringing oral health equity to those in need,” he added.

A total of 36 students will be admitted each year. After a year of training on campus, students will have three years of full-time training at one of the three health centers.

The school will be the first in the country to offer that.

Delta Dental of Washington has invested nearly $25 million to help bolster the dental workforce, including $2 million to Neighborcare Health Dental Education Clinic at Pacific Tower and $1.6 million to Providence Spokane for a dental residency program.

“Most dental disease is preventable, but you can’t prevent oral health issues if you don’t have access to care,” said Mark Mitchke, president and chief executive officer of Delta Dental of Washington, in the release. “As a mission-driven organization, Delta Dental of Washington is committed to growing the dental workforce particularly within communities of color and extending access to care for rural and underserved communities where we can make the biggest impact on improving our state’s oral health.”