For dental & medical professionals
The SAAD National Course in Conscious Sedation for Dentistry covers the underpinning knowledge and clinical skills required for the safe provision of conscious sedation in dental practice. The teaching faculty are the UK’s most experienced dental sedation teachers.
It is an excellent introduction to conscious sedation for 'New Starters' and a comprehensive refresher for practitioners wishing to ensure they remain up-to-date with sedation techniques and recommendations on best practice.
The programme is regularly updated in order to meet the changing needs of practitioners in general dental practice, Community Dental Service and hospital environments.
Course Content
Explain the principals of safe & effective conscious sedation (basic techniques)
Describe patient assessment and treatment planning
Recognise potential airway and breathing difficulties
Understand the significance of medical problems, including medication
Describe the administration of sedation, monitoring, recovery and discharge
Describe the recognition and management of sedation-related complications
Be aware of National guidance on conscious sedation
Why choose this course
- Be taught by the UK's most experienced teachers of conscious sedation for dentistry
- Theoretical and practical instruction in all aspects of conscious sedation
- Discussion of behavioural and advanced techniques
- SAAD course handbook covering all aspects of the SAAD National Course
- Plentiful opportunities for individual questions and discussion with faculty members who have extensive personal experience of your branch of dentistry and the range of patients you treat
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Reserve your place on the SAAD National Course
SAAD offers three National Courses each year, two in-person courses and one in a blended format (one day online and one day in person)
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31 May & 21 June 2025 (blended format)
Click here for information about the blended format. -
8 & 9 November 2025 (in-person)
Member Discount
- Please ensure that you are logged onto the website as a member to pay the discounted rate.
About Our Teaching
SAAD’s teaching is provided by a faculty which includes the most experienced teachers of dental sedation in the UK. Our course provides a sound foundation in basic conscious sedation techniques.
The SAAD National Course provides theoretical and practical instruction in all aspects relating to the current use of Conscious Sedation techniques. Mainstream techniques (intravenous midazolam and inhalation sedation) are covered in detail, and more advanced conscious sedation techniques are also discussed. (Advanced techniques must only be considered where practitioners have gained appropriate clinical supervision).
SAAD is well known for providing sound and entertaining training; an investment for patients and an enjoyable continuing professional dental education experience for practitioners
Meet Our Faculty
Dr David Craig
Consultant in Special Care Dentistry at Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Professor at the University of Portsmouth. David has over 30 years' experience teaching conscious sedation techniques to undergraduate students, dental and medical practitioners and has served on dental and multi-disciplinary groups preparing guidelines for safe sedation practice.
Past President & Former Course Director, SAAD
Dr Carole Boyle
Carole is a Consultant and Clinical Lead for Special Care Dentistry at Guy’s, and St Thomas’ Hospitals in London. Her particular interests are using sedation for people who require special care, teaching sedation both to undergraduates and postgraduates and providing dental care under general anaesthesia. She is a member of Dental Council at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
Course Director and Past President, SAAD
Dr Leah Adams
Leah is a Senior Dental Officer and Sedation Lead within the Community Dental Service in Gloucestershire. Prior to this she was a GDP and sedation lead in a private sedation practice and gained her MSc in Conscious Sedation from Cardiff University. Leah has a special interest in treating anxious children and adults and providing conscious sedation, as well as teaching sedation and mentoring dentists, therapists and nurses.
Trustee & CDS Sedation Lead, SAAD
Dr Prabhleen Anand
Prabhleen has been a Consultant and Honorary Clinical Lecturer for over 15 years in Paediatric Dentistry at The Eastman Dental Hospital. She is currently Deputy Chair for the Paediatric Dental Managed clinical network in London. She also works in private practice. Her areas of special interest are sedation, pain control, oral surgery, hypodontia, trauma and general anaesthesia. She is the lead on general anaesthesia and IV sedation in the department.
Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry, SAAD
Mrs Mary Hicks
Mary is an experienced registered nurse with an ED background and has been a Resuscitation Officer for over 20 years working within the NHS. Mary is a Resuscitation Council instructor in both adult and paediatric Advanced Life Support Courses. She has a keen interest in education and has a PgDip in Education.
Resuscitation Council Instructor, SAAD
Dr Bryan Kerr
Bryan completed an MSc in Sedation and Special Care Dentistry at King's College London (KCL) and is now a Consultant at Guy's Hospital, London. He provides training in conscious sedation to undergraduate and postgraduate dentists at KCL. Bryan is the current chair for DSTG and in the SAAD teaching faculty.
Consultant in sedation and SCD, SAAD
Dr Jennifer Hare
Jen leads the Dental Psychology Service at Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation NHS Trust; providing input for individuals with dental phobia, oro-facial pain and orthognathic surgical assessments
Consultant Health Psychologist, SAAD
Dr Christopher Holden
Chris has been a GDP in primary care for 40 years. He has been an author of most national guidance documents on dental sedation in the last 15 years. Chris provides expert evidence in the UK, Europe and worldwide and is immediate past president of The International Federation of Dental Anaesthesiology Societies.
Past President and SSPS Lead, SAAD
Mrs Emma Lee
Emma has been a member of the SAAD teaching faculty since 1998 and taught for many years in the department of Sedation and Special Care Dentistry at Guy’s Hospital. She is currently the Head of Learning & Development for Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust.
Assistant Course Director and SASN scheme Co-ordinator, SAAD
Dr Yi Kwan Loo
Yi is Deputy Sedation Lead in the Paediatric Department at King’s College Dental Institute. Her role includes provision of advanced sedation and teaching dental undergraduates. She completed the Diploma in Conscious Sedation at Newcastle University and has a background as a GDP providing advanced adult and paediatric sedation, as part of an experienced multidisciplinary team. Yi is a Paediatric Specialty Registrar based at King’s College Dental Institute and Kent Community Health Foundation Trust.
Assistant Editor, SAAD
Dr Najla Nizarali
Najla is a consultant in Sedation and Special Care Dentistry at Guys and St Thomas' Hopsital and and honorary senior lecturer for Kings College London. She provides training in conscious sedation to undergraduate and postgraduate students. She has a special interest in education relating to Special Care Dentistry and provision of dental services to haematology patients using sedation techniques as appropriate.
Consultant in SCD, SASH/T Lead, SAAD
Dr Damien Reilly
Damien is a Consultant in Special Care Dentistry. In addition to this appointment at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare, he has a particular interest in the provision of sedation for obese patients.
Consultant in Special Care Dentistry, SAAD
Mrs Toni Richman
Toni has for many years assisted and demonstrated on the techniques of Conscious Dental Sedation. She has presented at numerous post graduate courses within the UK and Ireland. She is a Practice Manager in Billingshurst, West Sussex.
Course Administrator, SAAD
Dr Laleh Sharifian
Laleh has been a GDP for over 20 years and has provided IV Sedation in primary care during this time. She is now a full time peripatetic sedation dentist; offering IV Sedation in the South-East of UK for dental practices. Laleh is also a clinical supervisor on the SAAD Assessed Sedationist (SAS) scheme and runs ILS courses and sedation lectures and CPD for the sedation team.
Peripatetic Sedationist, SAAD
Dr Zahra Shehabi
Zahra is a Consultant in Special Care Dentistry at the Royal London Dental Hospital. She completed MSc's in Sedation and Special Care Dentistry in 2011 (Kings College, London) and Healthcare Management in 2016 (City University, London). Zahra is heavily involved in undergraduate and postgraduate sedation teaching. Her clinical interests include intravenous sedation (basic and advanced techniques) for patients with challenging behaviour and those undergoing implant surgery. More recently, she has been involved in various healthcare sustainability projects through her work with Green@BartsHealth
Consultant in SCD and Trustee, SAAD
Dr Manni Deol
Manni has been a general dental practitioner for 20+ years working in NHS and private practice, based in the West Midlands. Her special interests include Sedation and Teaching. She provides intravenous sedation at her practice and has worked in the Department of Sedation and Special Care Dentistry at Guys Hospital in the past. Manni's other roles include Foundation training (13 years experience) and being an elected member of the LDC Coventry.
GDP and Clinical Advisor, www.saad.org.uk
Dr Paul Howlett
Paul works as a GDP in a private multi-disciplinary dental practice in Teesside. His specific areas of interest are managing anxious patients and more complex restorative care including dental implants. Previously, Paul spent 5 years working as part of a dedicated team providing advanced conscious sedation techniques for paediatric patients and continues to use single drug intravenous and inhalation sedation as part of his daily clinical practice. Paul has been a SAAD trustee since 2012.
GDP and Trustee, favthemes.com
Dr Neil Donaldson
Neil is a Consultant in Oral Surgery based at Birmingham Dental Hospital. He holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Conscious Sedation and uses these skills regularly in the provision of oral surgery with the help of intravenous sedation. He has a particular interest in the orthodontic/oral surgery interface and therefore is well experienced in the care of anxious children and adolescents.
Consultant Oral Surgeon, www.saad.org.uk
Mr Anthony McKay
Anthony has a wealth of experience attending emergencies and teaches undergraduate dental students. He is an ALS, APLS, NLS and Generic Resuscitation Instructor with a keen interest in non-technical skills. He has a Masters in Quality and Safety in Healthcare evaluating resuscitation teams.
Senior Resuscitation Officer, www.saad.org.uk
New starter?
Under current IACSD guidance, any practitioner who was not practising sedation independently prior to April 2015, is designated a 'New Starter' and will need to undergo a period of supervised clinical practice before being able to practise sedation independently.
The SAAD National course provides the required underpinning knowledge and also an introduction to the clinical skills for sedation, but it is then necessary to undertake supervised clinical experience before embarking on independent practice.
If you are a new starter, and not completing your supervised sedation experience as part of a University or Postgraduate Deanery run training scheme, or with a STAC approved supervisor, then you should also consider registering for the SAAD Assessed Sedationist (SAS) scheme. The SAS scheme follows on from attendance of the SAAD National Course. It is possible to register for the SAS scheme up to a month after attending the SAAD course.
Link to SAS scheme page - further details and registration
Venue
Times and sample programmes
Course times for the in-person course days
Course timings for the Practical Elements days of the blended format course
09:30 start and 17:00 close
Two day National Course timings
Saturdays: 9.00 start and 18.00 close
Sundays 8.45 start and 16.30 close
Sample programmes
Two day National Course sample programmes
Any Questions
Contact info@saad.org.uk 01302 578 835
IACSD
‘Standards for Conscious Sedation in the Provision of Dental Care’ (April 2015, 2020)
Following publication of the IACSD standards in April 2015, dentists, doctors, dental hygienists/therapists and dental nurses who have no previous experience in conscious sedation for dentistry must now undertake appropriate training before commencing independent clinical practice.
All training programmes for ‘new starters’ must include supervised clinical experience and have external validation. UK university-based courses and those run by Postgraduate Deaneries are deemed to be compliant. Other courses leading to independent (i.e. unsupervised) practice, including those run by private providers, must be accredited by the Sedation Training and Accreditation Committee (STAC) of IACSD.
The IACSD Standards state that practitioners offering supervised clinical experience in conscious sedation must now be accredited by a university, deanery or IACSD (p34, 86).
Terms and Conditions
Please see our Transfer, cancellation and refund policy