Korean dental pioneer Ham Seok-tae

During the Japanese colonial period, Seok-tae Ham (1889-?) founded the Hansung Dental Association, a Korean association created in opposition to Japanese dental groups. He can be credited as the person with the most dental ‘firsts’ in Korea. He was the first Korean to graduate from a regular dental school, the first officially registered Korean dentist to operate in Korea, the first Korean to open a dental practice, and the first president of the first dental organization comprised of Koreans. Even though Seok-tae Ham was a known figure, was a key dental pioneer and achieved so much, he has been lost to Korean dental history. Through historical materials, we can confirm that he was a philanthropist, donating funds and time to local schools and communities, thereby raising oral hygiene awareness as part of his social service activities.