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Other groups related to sedation, dentistry and health.
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British Dental Association |
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British Dental Journal |
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Department of Health |
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General Dental Council |
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Resuscitation Council |
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Royal College of Anaesthetists |
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Dental Sedation Teachers Group |
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ADA (Association of Dental Anaesthetists) |
Trustees
Meet the SAAD Trustees
Yi Loo
President
Yi is a Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry at King's College Hospital, London providing specialist care under sedation for children and young people with dental anomalies, dental trauma and medical complexity. 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.
Manni Deol
Hon. Secretary
Manni has been a general dental practitioner for 25 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 (17 years experience) and being an elected member of the LDC Coventry.
Paul Howlett
Treasurer
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.
Carole Boyle
Course Director
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.
Simon Chaplin-Rogers
Simon qualified in December 1979 at University College Hospital Medical & Dental School [UCHMS]. Post qualification followed six months as a Dental House Surgeon at UCH, before being awarded the medical place qualifying in Medicine in 1984. Then followed a medical rotation training for the next 5 years – his last year being as an SHO/registrar in Anaesthetics / Intensive care based on the Middlesex Hospital rotation.
He would describe himself as a traditional family dentist with a wide range of skills to support this role. His special interest both as a tutor and in practice is sedation dentistry and taking care of the very nervous patients.
Simon is currently the clinical lead for a 12-surgery dental partnership led group and has played an active role in the executive of the LDC Hampshire, with a period as Chairman – mentoring colleagues and practices in need of support.
Stephanie Fenesan
Stephanie is a specialist in Special Care Dentistry working across Hertfordshire and London. She completed her speciality training in the Department of Sedation and Special Care Dentistry at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals in London and completed her Masters in Special Care Dentistry at King’s College London Dental Institute in 2021. Her clinical interests include providing dental care and conscious sedation for patients with learning disabilities and additional needs.
Rick Kerr
Rick is an oral surgeon (OS) working in both secondary care as an Associate Specialist within a maxillofacial unit and in primary care with an OS specialist contract and a specialist dental practice.
He obtained a diploma in conscious sedation from Newcastle Dental Hospital and provides IV sedation in both primary and secondary care and IHS in hospital. We also trains both DCTs and STRs in sedation.
He obtained a diploma in conscious sedation from Newcastle Dental Hospital and provides IV sedation in both primary and secondary care and IHS in hospital. We also trains both DCTs and STRs in sedation.
Ronan Lee
Ronan is a private dentist practicing in Leicester Square and Stanmore, and is currently undertaking a part-time postgraduate MSc in Implant Dentistry at the Eastman Dental Hospital. He has an interest in working with dentally anxious patients while integrating sustainable practices into sedation, by utilising a combination of traditional pharmacological with non-pharmacological methods.
Thomas Lees
Thomas is a Specialist in Oral Surgery and departmental clinical lead for sedation at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust. He completed a Post-graduate diploma in Conscious Sedation for Dentistry at Cardiff University and provides clinical sedation teaching / mentoring to Dental Core Trainees, Oral Surgery Specialty Trainees and Specialty Dentists. He also runs sedation study days for NHS England and local / regional dental teams.
Thomas also undertakes IV sedation in a local specialist dental practice.
Nigel Robb
Editor of the SAAD Digest
Nigel is a Reader/Hon. Professor Restorative Dentistry and Educational Lead for Sedation and Special Care Dentistry at Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia. He has a vast experience in the subject of Conscious Sedation having co-authored one of the standard text books on the subject. He is an authority and renowned international speaker on the subject of Conscious Sedation.
Laleh Sharifian
Laleh has been a GDP in a private practice in London for over 20 years, providing IV Sedation in primary care and started a peripatetic IV sedation service 6 years ago following a demand in this niche. She now limits her service to this field and sedates in over 30 practices in the South East of England. Laleh is part of the faculty at SAAD; teaches and runs life support training courses, (D)ILS, for sedation practices and also undertakes expert witness work in relation to sedation. Laleh is an examiner for the royal college of surgeons of Edinburgh and a sedation mentor for dentists.
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 and is a member of the SAAD Teaching Faculty. Her clinical interests include intravenous sedation (basic and advanced techniques) for patients with challenging behaviour and those undergoing implant surgery.
Ashleigh Stamp
Ashleigh is a Clinical Fellow at Newcastle University School of Dental Sciences. She works within paediatric dentistry providing patient care and clinical teaching to dental and dental therapy undergraduates as well as supporting postgraduate education within the region. Ashleigh completed the Diploma in Conscious Sedation at Newcastle University and has a background working as a GDP providing conscious sedation to adults and children in primary care. Ashleigh is currently undertaking a PhD relating to behavioural support for young people receiving surgical dental care.
Imran Suida
Advisor to the Board
Christopher Holden
SAAD Safe Sedation Practice Committee Lead
Chris led a practice devoted to pain and anxiety control for over 40 years. He has been an author of many national guidance documents on dental sedation since chairing the first dental sedation standards document in 2000. His awareness and interest in quality assurance risk management is underpinned by having a variety of aircraft licences. Chris provides expert evidence in the UK, Europe and worldwide and is a past president of SAAD and of The International Federation of Dental Anaesthesiology Societies. He leads the SAAD Safe Sedation Practice Committee.
Updated 05.10.2025
About SAAD
The Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry is a dental charity dedicated to the advancement of knowledge in pain and anxiety control for dentistry. Often referred to as SAAD (pronounced to rhyme with ‘card’), the society has developed from a small study club in the late 1950s into one of the UK’s largest postgraduate teaching organisations for dentistry. The society’s main function is providing postgraduate education by running courses encouraging the safe provision of conscious sedation for dentistry. A major provision is also made for the training of dental nurses assisting in the procedures for conscious sedation and the management of associated complications. SAAD’s philosophy is that of team training. Please see the Courses pages for further details. SAAD’s other activities include providing scientific seminars, giving expert advice to other bodies including the Department of Health and the General Dental Council; providing experts for guidelines and standards documents; giving expert evidence to the courts and providing individual support and advice to members. The society produces a journal 'SAAD Digest' published twice a year, each March and September, and also the SAAD Newsletter also published twice a year, each June and November. For past copies of the Digest please see the SAAD Digest section. SAAD funds three memorial prize awards for original work with special categories for dental nurses and undergraduates, and also a PhD. (See Prizes) Membership of the society is open to any registered medical or dental practitioner, dental nurse or dental therapist.
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SAAD Constitution
The latest amendments to the SAAD Constitution were approved on the 21st April 2006.
The SAAD Bye-Laws were updated in June 2025.
Memebrs can request a copy of the Bye-laws by emailing contact@saad.org.uk
(Charity Number 1107420)
SAAD Prizes & Grants
- Drummond Jackson Essay Prize
- Undergraduate Essay Prize
- DCP Prize
- New!! Oral and Poster Presentation Prizes
- Research Grants
- SAAD Funding for a PhD project
Please refer to SAAD's current guidance before submitting your essay, report or abstract.
Drummond-Jackson Essay Prize of £750
The Drummond-Jackson Essay prize of £750 is awarded in memory of the founder of SAAD Dr Stanley Drummond-Jackson. The essay prize is open to graduates and undergraduates of both dentistry and medicine from anywhere in the world and should be an original publication on any subject related to Conscious Sedation, Anxiety Control, General Anaesthesia or Analgesia in dentistry. The deadline for the prize is 31 March annually and entries must be received and acknowledged before or on 31 March. SAAD reserve the right to publish the winning paper and the winner may be asked to present the paper at a SAAD scientific meeting. The essay should be in English, A4 format with double spacing as a Microsoft word document not exceeding 5,000 words, and compliant with the SAAD Essay Prize Guidelines for Authors.
Submission Details
Essays, specifying which essay prize they are entered for, should be emailed to prizes@saad.org.uk. Receipt will be confirmed by email. Please include full details of name, address, telephone and e-mail contact along with qualifications. For the essay prizes please download the SAAD Essay Prize Guidelines for Authors and ensure that your essay is complaint with these guidelines prior to submission. The decision of the SAAD Judging Panel is final and SAAD reserves the right not to award the prize if no suitable entries are received.
SAAD Undergraduate Essay Prize of £500
Each year a prize is available for the best essay written by an undergraduate student in dental surgery, dental therapy or dental hygiene, on any subject related to Conscious Sedation, Anxiety Control, General Anaesthesia or Analgesia in dentistry. Entries are accepted from undergraduate students from anywhere in the world and the prize is £500 which is presented at the SAAD Annual Symposium. The winning essay may be published in the SAAD Digest for the benefit of the SAAD membership. Entries must be received and acknowledged before or on the 31 March for the relevant year. All entries must be in English, A4 format with double spacing as a Microsoft word document, not exceeding 3,000 words and compliant with the SAAD Essay Prize Guidelines for Authors. Submission details are given below.
Submission Details
Essays, specifying which essay prize they are entered for should be emailed to prizes@saad.org.uk. Receipt will be confirmed by email. Please include full details of name, address, telephone and e-mail contact along with qualifications. For the essay prizes please download the SAAD Essay Prize Guidelines for Authors and ensure that your essay is complaint with these guidelines prior to submission. The decision of the SAAD Judging Panel is final and SAAD reserves the right not to award the prize if no suitable entries are received.
SAAD DCP Report Prize of £500
Dental Care Professionals from anywhere in the world are invited to submit a case report or service evaluation report for the annual SAAD DCP Prize of £500. All entries must use the templates: Case Study Report SAAD Template or Service Evaluation Report Template. The prize is presented at the SAAD Annual Symposium and the winning report may be published in the SAAD Digest for the benefit of the SAAD membership. Entries must be received and acknowledged before or on the 31 March for the relevant year. Submission details are given below.
Submission Details
DCP reports should be emailed to prizes@saad.org.uk. Receipt will be confirmed by email. Please include full details of name, address, telephone and e-mail contact along with qualifications. Please ensure that you have used the template provided. The decision of the SAAD Judging Panel is final and SAAD reserves the right not to award the prize if no suitable entries are received.
New!! Oral and Poster Presentation Prizes
Oral presenatation prize - NEW!!
A first prize of £250 and a second prize of £150 prize will be awarded for the best oral presentation at the SAAD Symposium.
The winners will also receive one year complimentary membership of SAAD and a 50% discount on the full fee to attend the SAAD symsposium the following year.
Abstracts, of no more than 200 words, and suitable for possible inclusion in the SAAD Digest, should be submitted.
Submission deadline: 5pm on 30 June
Contact: prizes@saad.org.uk.
Please refer to the SAAD guidelines for writing an abstract.
Poster presentation prize
A first prize of £250 and a second prize of £100 will be awarded for the best poster presentation at the SAAD Symposium.
Abstracts, of no more than 200 words, and suitable for possible inclusion in the SAAD Digest, should be submitted.
Submission deadline: 5pm on 30 June
Contact: prizes@saad.org.uk
Please refer to the SAAD guidelines for writing an abstract.
SAAD Essay Prize Guidelines for Authors --- DCP Report Templates --- SAAD Guidelines for Poster Abstracts
Research Grants
SAAD offers research grants to aid research in pain and anxiety control in dentistry. The award is open to all postgraduates with an interest in pain and anxiety control in dentistry who are working in the UK or Ireland. Individual applications for sums up to £5,000 will be considered. The Board of Trustees reserve the right to divide the available funding between more than one project up to the annual limit. Consideration will be given to applications for pump-priming funds to enable more major projects to be commenced, as well as completely funding projects as appropriate. Priority will be given to research (rather than audit projects). Ethical approval (if available) and indications of support from other interested parties such as drug companies or Health Trusts should be included. If funding is sought prior to the obtaining of ethical approval, SAAD’s support will be contingent on this being obtained.
Please download and complete the application form; applicants may find the SAAD Research Toolkit useful. The application form is a Word document that will download into your downloads folder.
This initial application will be considered by the judging panel of the Board of Trustees, and there may be requests for clarification or further information at this stage.
A decision is then made whether to the proposal should be considered by the full Board, or that SAAD would not wish to fund the application at this stage.
Potentially successful applications are submitted for consideration by the SAAD Board of Trustees at the next Board meeting. These meetings are usually held in February, June and September.
Please contact us at fiona@saad.org.uk if you have any questions about the research grants.
SAAD Funding for a PhD in the area of Conscious Sedation for Dentistry
On occasion the Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry (SAAD) has invited applications for PhD funding in the area of conscious sedation for dentistry from UK dental schools. The funding for a PhD to run to 2026 has already been allocated. The availability of further funding has not yet been confirmed.