à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã

Why do children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder have oral health challenges?

That was the question posed to then-South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã State University undergraduate Katlyn VerMeer in fall 2024. In Sioux Falls, the Sanford Health clinic had been seeing many cases of children diagnosed with ADHD who also had deteriorating oral health.

Was this common? What research was there on this issue? 

VerMeer, then a senior in SDSU's College of Nursing, was approached by Sarah Mollman, the College of Nursing's associate dean for research, about investigating this issue for VerMeer's senior capstone project. Mollman had been developing unique research partnerships with health care facilities to pair up students and professionals who might be interested in pursuing research projects on current and relevant practice problems.

Over the course of her senior year, VerMeer conducted a full literature review on the topic and found that deteriorating oral health with children diagnosed with ADHD was a widespread issue. In fact, research shows that children with ADHD have nearly 12 times the odds of having a high number of diseased, missing and/or filled teeth.

"Mornings can be a challenge for these patients, for one reason or another," VerMeer said. "To avoid these oral health issues, they need to be brushing their teeth — better and for longer."

Through her research, VerMeer developed a one-page infographic on the topic, which included a list of best practices. She also found an app specifically designed to help children brush their teeth better. The infographic included a QR code linked to the app. She provided the infographic to Sanford, who has used it to help inform parents whose children may be dealing with this issue.

“(VerMeer) was exceptionally thorough, well-researched, and demonstrated a deep understanding of the topic," said Paige Metz, a registered nurse with Sanford. "Her support was invaluable, especially given our limited staffing hours to complete the task. We truly appreciate her dedication and the effort she put into this important work surrounding children’s dental health."

This is one of the ways that Mollman, who coordinates the College of Nursing's honors program, is creating new opportunities for College of Nursing undergraduates to get involved in research.

While Mollman worked with Sanford Health on VerMeer's research, she is also looking to partner with other health care clinics in the future.

"These projects help our health care system and also enrich the student experience," Mollman said.

The 2024-25 academic year was the first year for this type of research opportunities for undergraduate students. Seven students, including VerMeer, partnered with health care professionals from seven different departments. The opportunities are expected to broaden to interdisciplinary opportunities.

"Working with Dr. Mollman and the Sanford team allowed me to apply my research skills to real world issues," VerMeer said. "My education was benefitted because I was able to look at the literature and then determine how to use the information to improve patient outcomes. From this, I will feel confident approaching research for other clinical issues that I may encounter during my career as a registered nurse."

VerMeer, now graduated, will begin a role at Sanford Health this fall.