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10/ accessHealthnews.net Winter 2014 Missouri Oral Health Dr. Storm Appointed as State Dental Director As a medical missionary, Dr. B. Ray Storm has provided dental care in the mountains of Bolivia and in the rainforests of Honduras. But his newest perch is in Jefferson City, where in early December, he became Missouri dental director. No one has held the post for more than a decade. A group of foundations allocated $340,000 to fund the position for the first few years. His mission, Storm said, is to "increase access to care so that more of our Missouri citizens are able to get the dental care that they need and to increase the health standards of our state." An Illinois native, Storm grew up in the St. Louis area, where he was a practicing dentist for more than three decades. He sold his practice four years ago, but he stayed active in dentistry through consulting and research work. Storm is also a member of the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health, which has made the naming of a state dental director a high priority since reorganizing in 2011. Storm started working in the remote areas of Central and South America to continue the work of a deceased colleague. That gave rise to Physical Assistance Through Christian Helpers Elevates the Savior (PATCHES), a nonprofit Storm started with some partners in the early 1990s. In debriefings from international trips, Storm said volunteers started thinking about doing their good work closer to home. That, in turn, led to the formation of Give Kids A Smile in 2000, which sets up events to provide free dental care to needy children. Give Kids A Smile now operates nationally as a program of the American Dental Association. The program serves approximately 450,000 children each year through more than 1,500 events staffed by approximately 40,000 volunteers. As a dental hygienist, Missouri Rep. Donna Lichtenegger has been a strong backer of the push to name a state dental director. The Republican from Jackson, the county seat of Cape Girardeau, said her hope is that Storm's presence can improve awareness and services for adults with unmet dental needs. Lichtenegger said Storm could also help preach the dangers of not receiving proper dental care. Even an untreated abscessed tooth can lead to death, she said. "We are not trying to scare people," she said, "but the mouth is part of the body, and that concept has gone away for a lot of years…The door is open (with Storm's appointment), and the sky is the limit for what can happen with it." Having a state dental director should make Missouri more competitive in seeking federal oral health grants, said Gary Harbison, executive director of the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health. One immediate possibility, he said, is to get funding from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration for a dental sealant program. As the dental director, Storm has a dual appointment with the departments of Health and Senior Services and Social Services. But that doesn't mean his traveling days are over; he intends to get around the state. "I need to see firsthand what is going on in various areas," he said. Special to accessHealth " We are not trying to scare people…but the mouth is a part of the body and that concept has gone away for a lot of years. The door is open with Storm's appointment, and the sky is the limit for what can happen with it." Missouri Rep. Donna Lichtenegger Dr. B. Ray Storm