While we bring clinical expertise to our patients, they bring something just as powerful to us: lived experiences. Patient motivations, environments, and values shape how they engage with their health.
When we shift from instructing to listening, we unlock a new dynamic. Instead of simply educating, we ask open-ended questions, reflect what we hear, and honor autonomy. These conversations reveal what patients already know, what they value, and where we can help fill in the gaps.
This is the heart of behavior change—personal, contextual, and nonlinear—and now it’s the foundation of a groundbreaking new publication designed specifically for dental hygienists and dental therapists internationally.
Tim Ives, executive editor, said, “This is something that has been a few years in the planning, and we are proud that it has now come to fruition as we believe that successful behavior change is the missing link in the patient journey to health.”
Journal focuses on behavior and communication
Launched in July 2025, the International Journal for Applied Health Behavior Change offers a peer-reviewed platform to showcase how changes in clinicians’ behaviors and communication styles can profoundly influence patient outcomes.
Published by O’Hehir University (OHU), the journal highlights applied behavior change in action, where clinicians transform their own practices and mindsets to better engage and coach patients who have created their own oral health plan.
Publisher Trisha O’Hehir said, “The International Journal for Applied Health Behavior Change is where research meets real-world impact, driving innovation in patient care and behavior change.”
Unlike traditional journals, this publication bridges the gap between theory and application. It emphasises outcomes over instructions and publishes research summaries linked to full papers. The result is a vibrant, attractive, and relatable resource for clinicians committed to evidence-based, person-centered care.
Dabney Vacarro, creative director, said, “My role is to translate the voice of our writers into the visual language of our journal.”
Editor Linda Douglas explained, “We are shifting the conversation from compliance to collaboration, from procedures to people. This journal is about inspiring transformation through research that makes a difference, clinician by clinician, patient by patient.”
The journal is rooted in the ethos of OHU, an international online institution with over 400 graduates, offering bachelor’s degree and master’s degree programs in oral health promotion for licensed dental hygienists and therapists. It provides a publication pathway for OHU graduates and other professionals who are passionate about sustainable health behavior change.
Whether you’re exploring sugar-free homes, self-care apps, trauma-informed care, or motivational interviewing, this journal meets patients where they are, not where we think they should be. It’s a space for clinicians, researchers, educators, and students to share insights, spark dialogue, and advance the science of health behavior change.
We invite you to read, cite, and contribute. Let’s celebrate the power of listening, the courage to evolve, and the ripple effect of clinician-led transformation.
International Journal for Applied Oral Health Behavior Change
