This historical narrative highlights the origin and development of the dental hygiene profession in South Korea. The legacy of early American missionaries to Korea includes profound and long-lasting contributions in medicine, education and theology. Many of Korea’s top universities today have their roots in the missionary schools of the late nineteenth century, including Yonsei University, home of the first dental hygiene program in Korea. From Yonsei in Seoul, the dental hygiene profession spread throughout the country, including the American missionary-based program in Kwangju in 1977. Contributions included clinical and didactic education, as well as professional leadership and development. American dental missionaries developed the profession of dental hygiene in Korea, and provided guidance to Korean dentists and hygienists for its growth and expansion

Mann, Nancy K.

Opus: Research and Creativity at IPFW

Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne
Opus: Research & Creativity at IPFW
Dental Education Faculty Publications Department of Dental Education
9-2011
The History of Dental Hygiene in South Korea
Nancy K. Mann
mannn@ipfw.edu
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Nancy K. Mann (2011). The History of Dental Hygiene in South Korea. Journal of the History of Dentistry..59 (2), 94-100. Brookline,
MA: American Academy of the History of Dentistry.
http://opus.ipfw.edu/dental_facpubs/63
94Journal of the History of Dentistry/Vol. 59, No. 2 Summer/Fall 2011
This historical narrative highlights the origin and development of the dental 
hygiene profession in South Korea. The legacy of early American missionaries to 
Korea includes profound and long-lasting contributions in medicine, education 
and theology. Many of Korea’s top universities today have their roots in the 
missionary schools of the late nineteenth century, including Yonsei University, 
home of the first dental hygiene program in Korea. From Yonsei in Seoul, the 
dental hygiene profession spread throughout the country, including the American 
missionary-based program in Kwangju in 1977. Contributions included clinical 
and didactic education, as well as professional leadership and development. 
American dental missionaries developed the profession of dental hygiene in 
Korea, and provided guidance to Korean dentists and hygienists for its growth 
and expansion.
The History of Dental Hygiene in South Korea
Nancy K. Mann, RDH, MSEd
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne
Clinical Associate Professor of Dental Hygiene
Correspondence:
Nancy K. Mann, RDH, MSEd
Clinical Associate Professor of Dental Hygiene
Department of Dental Education
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne
2101 E Coliseum Blvd
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499
Phone: (260) 481-6569
MannN@ipfw.edu
95 Journal of the History of Dentistry/Vol. 59, No. 2 Summer/Fall 2011
Introduction
American missionaries 
had a profound impact on Korean 
society, having created a legacy in 
the importation of Christianity, 
Western education, and medicine, 
including dentistry. Contributions 
included clinical and didactic 
education, as well as professional 
leadership and development. 
American dental missionaries 
developed the profession of 
dental hygiene in Korea and provided guidance 
to Korean dentists and hygienists for its growth 
and expansion. Due to the vision of the early 
missionaries, dental hygiene is very much a part of 
the legacy that began in Korea 44 years ago. 
Medicine and  
Higher Education Introduced
In 1884, the arrival of two individuals 
would significantly alter the course of oral hygiene 
in the country. The first was Dr. Horace N. Allen 
(Fig. 1), who went to Korea as the 
nation’s first Presbyterian medical 
missionary. He introduced many 
Western medical techniques 
which were previously unknown 
to the people there. Within a 
year, Dr. Allen initiated the 
first training program at the 
Severance Union Medical College 
and Hospital, and accepted 16 
students who would become 
Korea’s first modern medical 
doctors.1 The second individual, 
Dr. Horace G. Underwood (Fig. 
2), a Presbyterian pastor & 
educator, arrived and eventually 
founded the Yonhee College, 
Korea’s first modern college.2 This marked the 
beginning of expansive educational, religious and 
social developments in Korea. 
Modern Dentistry Introduced 
Modern dentistry was first 
introduced to Korea in 1915 by Dr. W. J. 
Scheifley, who established the Department 
of Dentistry at the Severance Union 
Medical College in Seoul. Taking his 
mission very seriously, Scheifley stated:3
It is with a feeling of tremendous 
responsibility that I am undertaking to 
connect dentistry directly with the missionary 
movement. As far as I can  discover, 
it is the first time this had been tried. The 
results of our efforts not only depends the future of 
this work in Korea but some influence will be borne 
upon the undertaking of this work in other places. 
At the best our efforts are an experiment. 
In 1920, Scheifley left Seoul after his first 
term as a dental missionary, but his work proved to 
be successful and had lasting impact.
Dr. J. L. Boots and Dr. J. A. McAnlis, 
both Presbyterian missionary dentists, arrived 
separately in the port city of Incheon in 1921, 
but both worked in Seoul.4 Dr. Boots focused on 
training and delivering dental care to Koreans at 
Severance, while Dr. McAnlis provided dentistry 
to missionaries and other foreigners 
residing in the country. Dr. Boots’ dream 
was to build a separate building for 
the dental department. After five years 
of fund-raising in the United States, 
the first modern dental health center 
in Korea was built next to Severance 
Hospital in October 1931. Dr. Boots left 
Korea in 1939; however, Dr. McAnlis 
stayed on as the director until 1940.5 
From 1940-1957, most American 
missionaries left Korea to escape the 
persecution of Christians during WWII 
and the Korean War, although medical 
work continued under Japanese rule.6 
Furthermore, at the end of World War 
II, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into North 
Korean and South Korean zones of occupation. 
In 1948, rival governments were established, with 
the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea in the 
North and the Republic of Korea in the South. The 
Korean War took place from 1950 until a cease fire 
Fig. 2. Dr. Horace Underwood
Fig. 1. Dr. Horace Allen
Mann
96Journal of the History of Dentistry/Vol. 59, No. 2 Summer/Fall 2011
was declared in 1953. The discussion that follows 
refers only to South Korea, or the Republic of Korea 
(ROK), due to its democracy and openness to US 
influence.
In 1957, Yonhee University and Severance 
Union Medical College merged, taking the first 
syllable from each of the two schools’ names to 
become Yonsei University. The Department of 
Dentistry at Severance Union Medical College 
was moved to Yonsei University Campus in 1962, 
and accredited by the Ministry of Education in 
December 1967. The next spring, 40 students 
registered in the first formal accredited pre-dental 
course in the College of Dentistry at Yonsei.7  
Dental Hygiene Begins in Korea
American missionaries eventually returned 
to Korea after the Korean War ended in 1953. 
Meanwhile in the US, the Christian Dental Society 
(CDS) was founded at the 1962 American Dental 
Association Convention in Miami, where Dr. 
John McInnes from Tucson, Arizona, was elected 
as the first chairman. The vision of the CDS was 
to address the dental needs of church-related 
hospitals and clinics all over the world.8 In 1962-
1963, Dr. McInnes and Dr. Roy D. Ribble, CDS 
missionary dentists, recommended the creation of 
a program in dental hygiene at Yonsei University. 
The program was formally proposed to the 
government in 1964 and opened in 1965 under the 
direction of Korean dentist Dr. Jhee Heun-Taik.3 
Dr. Jhee traveled to the University of Michigan to 
observe the dental hygiene program and study their 
curriculum so that ideas could be adapted for the 
Korean program.
In 1967, dental hygiene was officially 
established in Korea, with the graduation of the 
first four dental hygienists from Yonsei University. 
(Fig. 3) The early years of dental hygiene in Korea 
lacked educational standards and professional 
guidelines. Within seven years, the Ministry 
of Health and Welfare established educational 
standards and instituted the National Board 
Examination in 1974.9
The second dental hygiene program in 
Seoul opened in 1977. It was a two-year program 
associated with Kyung Hee University.10 During 
that time, the government expanded medical 
insurance to include dental coverage, with dental 
hygienists to be employed in all local health 
departments. This was an incentive to open new 
programs in junior and technical colleges as many 
more dental hygienists were needed.
Dental Hygiene Program  
Expands Beyond Seoul
The first dental hygiene program to open 
in the ROK outside of Seoul was at Seowon Junior 
College in Kwangju, in the southwestern province 
of Chulla Namdo. This work was started in 1977 by 
American Presbyterian missionaries Dr. Dick H. 
Nieusma, DDS, and Nancy L. Kane, RDH. (Fig. 4)
They were assisted by Ms. Oh Jung- Sook, 
RDH, graduate of the Yonsei program in Seoul. 
(Fig. 5) Dr. Nieusma from Holland, Michigan, was 
a career missionary dentist at Kwangju Christian 
Hospital.11 Ms. Kane was a two-year volunteer 
dental hygienist from Gate City, Virginia, initially 
sent to work at the hospital dental clinic with 
Dr. Nieusma. She was the first dental hygienist 
in Chulla Namdo.12 Both Ms. Kane and Dr. 
Nieusma agreed to assist Seowon Junior College 
in establishing the associate’s degree program. The 
first class at Seowon graduated in 1979. (Fig. 6)
Fig. 3. The first dental hygiene class in Korea.
The History of Dental Hygiene in South Korea
97 Journal of the History of Dentistry/Vol. 59, No. 2 Summer/Fall 2011
Interestingly, three male graduates 
were denied permission to take the licensing 
examination due to gender, so they became 
dental laboratory technician apprentices. Later, 
the government relented and now allows men to 
serve as dental hygienists. On September 5, 2004, 
Kim Tae-han was elected the first president of the 
Korean Male Dental Hygienists’ Society.13
In 1979, all junior colleges were reorganized 
by the Korean government into technical colleges. 
By 1981, all two-year programs were expanded into 
three-year programs when prerequisite courses 
were established. Shortly after, the fourth dental 
hygiene program began at Dankook University 
in Seoul in 1987. By the early 1990s many new 
programs opened throughout the country.9 Faculty 
were recruited the programs that had opened in 
the 1960s and 70s, and the profession grew quickly. 
The dental hygiene curriculum included liberal arts 
and sciences, oral anatomy, public and oral health, 
preventive dentistry, clinical practice, nutrition, 
dental materials and radiology.
The Korean Dental  
Hygienists’ Association
The first organizational meeting of the 
KDHA was held in Seoul in 1977. Nancy Kane and 
Oh Jung-Sook from Kwangju attended the meeting. 
Ms. Kim Sook- Hyang, a graduate of Yonsei Dental 
Hygiene Program, was elected the first President.13 
(Fig. 7)  She received her Bachelor’s Degree in 
Dental Hygiene Education from Loyola University 
in Chicago in 1975, and returned to Seoul as a 
leader in the profession and as an educator. The 
KDHA grew quickly with its mission of advancing 
the art and science of dental hygiene by ensuring 
access to quality oral health care. The organization 
has created several publications, including the peer-
reviewed Journal of the Korean Dental Hygienists’ 
Association.
Definition of Duties and Licensing
Patterned after dental hygiene in the 
United States, dental hygiene in the ROK began 
as an auxiliary career under the supervision of a 
licensed dentist. Duties include scaling, polishing, 
oral health education and promotion, fluoride, 
sealants and radiographs. Licensing requirements 
include graduation from an accredited program 
with successful completion of a written and clinical 
board exam. The written board consists of 200 
Fig. 4. Dr. Dick Nieusma and Nancy Kane, RDH in 1977.
Fig. 5. Professors Kane and Oh
Mann
98Journal of the History of Dentistry/Vol. 59, No. 2 Summer/Fall 2011
questions in various subject areas, while the clinical 
exam is a simulated scaling exercise on a manikin.9
Korean dental hygienists practice in private 
dental offices, community centers, schools, public 
health centers, corporations, orthodontic clinician 
programs and as dental assistants. Korean dental 
hygienists are also trained in office management 
strategies and serve in front desk capacities. 
Growth & Current Status
In 2002, a few Korean universities began 
offering bachelor’s degrees in dental hygiene. The 
first four-year program for dental hygiene in Korea 
was started at Yonsei University, Wonju Campus, in 
2002.14 Popular majors for dental hygiene students 
pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree include 
education, public health administration, public 
health management and environmental science. It 
is now a requirement for dental hygiene educators 
to have a doctoral degree.
60 years since the Korean War, the 
explosive expansion of Korean education at all 
levels has produced drastic changes in both the 
quantity and the quality of education provided. 
Currently, South Korea has more than 22,000 
registered dental hygienists (RDH) for a population 
of slightly over 48 million.15 South Korea has 52 
three-year diploma dental hygiene programs based 
on a rigorous core curriculum. There are also 11 
four-year degree programs nationwide, totaling 
63 dental hygiene programs. The South Korean 
education system encourages a strong culture of 
research and innovation among its graduate dental 
hygienists. Goals for the undergraduate programs 
include: standardizing curriculum for the three-
year programs, implementing new accreditation 
guidelines and regular site visits.16
 The Korean Dental Hygienists’ Association 
is a member of the International Federation of 
Dental Hygiene (IFDH).15 The first International 
Symposium on Dental Hygiene was planned by 
the American Dental Hygienists’ Association and 
was held in Italy in 1970.17 The KDHA joined the 
IFDH in 1992.13 Every three years, the IFDH holds 
its worldwide conference; the president and vice 
president of the KDHA represent Korea. In 2010, 
Fig. 6. Dr. Nieusma and the first class at Seowon Junior College in Kwangju
The History of Dental Hygiene in South Korea
99 Journal of the History of Dentistry/Vol. 59, No. 2 Summer/Fall 2011
the KDHA had more than 22 delegates, including 
the current President, Kim Won-Sook, RDH, 
representing the ROK in Glasgow, Scotland. (Fig. 8) 
Conclusion
2011 marks the 44th anniversary of 
the profession of dental hygiene in Korea. The 
legacy of early American missionaries to Korea 
includes profound and long-lasting contributions 
in medicine, education and theology. Many of 
Korea’s top universities today have their roots 
in the missionary schools of the late nineteenth 
century, including Yonsei University, home of the 
first dental hygiene program in Korea. From Yonsei 
in Seoul, the dental hygiene profession spread 
throughout the country including the American 
missionary-based program in Kwangju in 1977. 
Graduates and faculty from that program went on 
to eventually form the Dental Service International 
Corp (DSI). In the 21st century, the work of 
Protestant missionaries continues as Korean dental 
mission organizations such as DSI have opened 
dental clinics, dental schools and dental hygiene 
programs in other parts of the world. Examples 
include: the All Nations Dental Center in Tashkent, 
Uzbekistan (Fig. 9); the Meerim Dental Clinic in 
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; and the Charity Dental Clinic 
in Ulanbataar, Mongolia.18,19 
The cycle of education, ministry and 
healthcare continues. Thanks to the vision of the 
early missionaries, dental hygiene is very much a 
part of the legacy that began 44 years ago in Korea: 
a profession which continues to grow and evolve.
Fig. 7. Kim Sook-Hyang (left), first President of the KDHA
Fig. 8. Korean Officers Delegation at the IFDH meeting 
in Glasgow, Scotland, July 1, 2010.
Fig. 9. Korea-Uzbek dental bus.
Mann
100Journal of the History of Dentistry/Vol. 59, No. 2 Summer/Fall 2011
References
1. Brown GT. Mission to Korea. Board of World 
Missions. Presbyterian Church U.S. 1962.
2. Ibid.
3. Yonsei Univeristy School of Dentistry 90th 
Anniversary Bulletin. 2005. Seoul: Yonsei University 
Press.
4. Ibid.
5. McAlpine JA. Papers, Box 322, Folder __: item 
description, PCA Historical Center, St. Louis, MO. 
(Presbyterian Survey) 1928. (1), (2)
6. Brown GT. Mission to Korea. Board of World 
Missions, Presbyterian Church U.S. 1962.
7. Kwon HK. History of Yonsei University School 
of Dentistry. 2009, http://dentistry.yonsei.ac.kr/en/
yucd/school/intro/. Accessed January 2, 2011.
8. The History of the Christian Dental Society.  
http://www.christiandental.org/history.html. 
Accessed January 29, 2011.
9. Kim SH. “Dental Hygienists in Korea.” Int J Dent 
Hyg. 2003;1(2):89-97. 
10. Ibid.
11. Hope College Press Release. H-Club to Present 
Hope for Humanity Award to Dick Nieusma Jr. 
at Homecoming. 2000. http://www.hope.edu/pr/
pressreleases/content/view/full/1229. Accessed 
February 13, 2011.
12. Huntley, M.The Modern Missionary.
Presbyterian Survey. 1979; 2:31. 
13. The history of the Korean Dental Hygienists’ 
Association in English. http://www.kdha.or.kr. 
Accessed January 15, 2011.
14. The History of Dental Hygiene at Yonsei 
University School of Dentistry. http://www.yonsei.
ac.kr/eng/academics/colleges/wonju/. Accessed 
January 10, 2011.
15. The International Federation of Dental Hygiene. 
http://www.ifdh.org. Accessed February 2, 2011.
16. Kim SH et al. The implementation status of 
the dental hygiene curriculum in Korea and the 
comparison with the US ADA standard. J Kor Acad 
Dent Hyg Ed. 2009; 9(3), 229-247.
17. Part 6 of the History of the American Dental 
Hygienists’ Association. http://www.adha.org/
downloads/history/part6.pdf. Accessed February 2, 
2011.
18. Dr. Dick Nieusma, featured graduate. The 
University of Michigan Dental Alumni Bulletin. 
Dental UM Spring/Summer 2004:71-73. 
www.dent.umich.edu/publications/dentalum-
springsummer-2004. Accessed February 3, 2011.
19. Yang YS. Overseas Works of DSI : Dental Service 
International Corp. 2005. Seoul, Korea.
The History of Dental Hygiene in South Korea


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