Dr Laleh Sharifian

BDS (Lond.), MFDS RCS (Eng.), Dip DSed

Dentistry has been the only profession on my radar for as long as I can remember! Not having any family in the medical world and having a rather odd dentist as a child, I am surprised this obsession managed to stick around and I was lucky enough to join the prestigious United Medical and Dental Schools (UMDS) of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals to study dentistry. At my interview I remember talking about how excited I was to treat nervous patients and to learn about sedation. As an undergraduate, I was awarded the Malleson prize as an undergraduate for my final year research project on the psychosocial effects of tooth loss.

I qualified in 1999 from UMDS and enrolled on the diploma for sedation soon after, whilst doing surgical and restorative house jobs at Guy’s. Blessed to have been taught by the finest leading tutors in this field, including Meg Skelly, Derek Debuse, David Craig and Carole Boyle, I embarked on a journey as a general dental practitioner (GDP) whilst using my sedation skills in primary care.

Most of my career has been as a private GDP in London and I spent 15 years at the same practice, building continuous care with patients I adored. I noticed an increase in demand for sedation in primary care and wanted to make sedation accessible to more patients and dentists. I set up a peripatetic service so patients were able to have their treatments with their own dentist and I was able to utilise technology and the luxury of mobility to deliver a bespoke anxiety and IV sedation service for those patients and dentists. I did this alongside dentistry for a few years before deciding to dedicate myself full time to this exciting and growing field. I wrote a difficult email to my patients explaining my decision and in 2020 I put my proverbial dental tools down.

I now practise sedation in the south east of England for 40 practices and sedate around 250 patients a year. Alongside this, I am dedicated to teaching and learning and am tremendously honoured to be part of the faculty at SAAD. I also teach life support courses, mainly ILS for dental practices that I work within. I am a sedation supervisor for nurses and dentists training in sedation and also an examiner for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. I also undertake expert witness work in relation to sedation and engage in lectures and talks for dental associations both locally and nationally.

SAAD has been an inspiration to me throughout my career, and I am privileged and excited to have been chosen as a co-opted member of the SAAD Board. I have used this year to familiarise myself with this wonderful charity and the backbone that is the trustees who work tirelessly to make this organisation the success it is. I hope to utilise my experience of peripatetic sedation services in primary care and continue to promote and expand this incredible area. For this reason it would be an absolute honour to be a part of this distinguished charity.

Laleh has been proposed by Carole Boyle and Yi Kwan Loo

I qualified in dentistry at Guys in 1988. I immediately started my career as a locum in Oral surgery and have spent the last 30 years working my way through the ranks in the department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the Royal Devon University hospital.

I obtained my FDSRCS eng in 1993 and eventually was appointed as an Associate Specialist in OMFS

I have utilised intravenous sedation throughout my working career employing it in both primary & secondary care oral surgery services as well as in general practice. In practice as well as using it to teat my own patients, I also provided sedation for other dentists both in my practice and also on occasions in their own practices.

In 2015 I undertook my sedation diploma in Newcastle dental hospital in Professor Nick Girdlers unit. I really valued the theoretical & practical knowledge gained from the course. I am a SAAD approved supervisor and teach our DCTs and specialist registrars in oral surgery.

I teach sedation on the postgraduate MSc oral surgery programme run by Peninsula dental school.

In 2019 I undertook a quality improvement project with the aim of introducing a new inhalational sedation service. The project proved challenging for a couple of reasons. The first and simpler hurdle was the Covid pandemic. The second more complex hurdle was convincing the trust’s newly appointed sustainability lead that I was hoping to buck the trend of the trust’s aim to stop the use of Nitrous Oxide.

With help from SAAD, DTSG and Newcastle DH sedation unit I managed to undertake a trial of a new IHS service, post Covid. I presented a poster about the journey at a DTSG symposium.

I am delighted to say that the trust has now approved our use of IHS and we have purchased our own unit after the kind loan that we obtained via the SAAD scheme. Interestingly some of my younger colleagues are now preferentially using IHS rather than intravenous sedation.

I would be interested to learn more about the running of SAAD & hopefully contribute to the service that it provides.

Richard has been proposed by Thomas Lees and Sadie Hughes

Outside of dentistry, I am an avid runner, this year I will participate in the London landmarks half marathon for the Royal Marsden, marking my fourth year in this event. I am also passionate cook and share my creations on Instagram under the handle @ronanleefoodie.

I am putting myself forward as a nominee for the SAAD Board because I am deeply passionate about conscious sedation, and committed to the education of future seditionists. I believe that my experience, drive and fresh perspective can help SAAD further its goal of advancing education and safe conscious sedation practice.

With my background in sedation and environmental awareness, I am in a unique position to offer valuable insights to aspiring seditionists. My locum work has allowed me to develop an understanding of how sedation can be applied in clinical settings outside of secondary care. Additionally, my postgraduate studies and future publications provide me with an academic foundation where I can contribute meaningfully to SAAD Digest.

My primary goal for joining the SAAD Board is to encourage greater participation from younger dentists. I have seen firsthand how important sedation can be in providing care to anxious and special care patients, but I recognise how many newly qualified dentists are unaware of its benefits.

I would like to see SAAD branch out to younger dentists through its digital platform. For example, revamping the current SAAD Instagram page with more content-engaging posts, including reels and educational posts that may attract younger dentists. Additionally, I propose the introduction of a reduced fee structure for newly qualified dentists to attend SAAD’s online course. This would create an accessible entry point for those interested in sedation and serve as a gateway to the in-person course, which could be priced separately.

I believe SAAD could play a more active role in providing support to DCTs who are completing their sedation accreditation, offering study clubs or in hospital mentorships opportunities. Furthermore, I feel SAAD could engage more directly with universities, hosting lectures or seminars tailored for dental students that could spark early interest, leading to pursuing sedation dentistry in the future.

I am excited about the opportunity to bring my energy, experience and ideas. I am confident that I can contribute meaningfully and positively to the SAAD board and charity.

Ronan has been proposed by Zahra Shehabi and Stacey Clough

 

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Dr. Simon Chaplin-Rogers

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. The initial plan was to progress in a Maxillo Facial career but at that time there were too many of us doubly qualified! I elected to undertake a medical rotation training for the next 5 years – my last year being as a SHO/registrar in Anaesthetics / Intensive care based on the Middlesex Hospital rotation.

Then followed a year in general medical practice training in Putney, London, and at the same time purchased my first dental practice in Putney – providing sedation care from 1991 onwards.

In 1990 I moved from London to join a medical partnership in Hampshire, working 3.5 days a week as a GP and 1.5 days in Putney as a GDP with a special interest in sedation. As a GP in the early years I maintained my interest in medical anaesthetics working with Hampshire Ambulance in the scheme called then BASICS –[British Association of Immediate Scheme Doctors]. Assisting Ambulance teams at trauma and big incidents. The need was there and BASICS was correctly taken over by the paramedic teams that we see today plus more formal trained trauma anaesthetists.

The dental practice became a 6 day a week 2 surgery unit, which was sold and rapidly expanded to a 5-surgery unit. I then undertook a period of a year’s attachment to the Eastman Hospital before purchasing forming a dental partnership and developing two sites in Winchester. It was an NHS dental practice, a teaching practice and with private care provision as well. I was one of the VT trainers, sedation teachers and providers of care, and had a role serving on the executive of Hampshire, Dorset and Isle of Wight LDC, plus periods as vice chair and chairman. In 2015 I undertook the diploma course in Conscious sedation course run by Newcastle Hospital – this was I felt a time to undertake a focussed revision period in this aspect of care.

On the medical side I went on to become the senior partner of the medical practice based on two sites in Chandlers Ford, Hampshire. We were an eight-partner practice

looking after 17000 patients. At the same time, I undertook roles as GP advisor to the Wessex Nuffield Hospital, teaching roles, and the lead management of a large medical practice. It was a pleasure to play an early role in 2016 as medical director of one of the initial video consulting companies that emerged and we see such a part of medical care today, it was a challenge in those early years to introduce this to the care pathway but I am proud of the part I played. I now sit as medical director of a medical app DocHQ concentrating on governance and patient care pathways. I retired from the practice in May 2022 and now work as a GP advisor to urgent care services in University Hospitals Dorset [Royal Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch Hospitals].

I have always worked in large partnerships and have found them rewarding both in dental and medical learning, plus the “support” around the many business issues is invaluable – especially now in these quite challenging times as demand and expectations have to be met. With that “passion” in mind, in the past 4 years we have started to build up a group of partnership led practices. We number 12 practices with a staff of 56 GDP’s, 32 Hygienists and therapists, 200+ reception and nursing team. We have an active sedation training programme across all the practices.

Born in April 1955, married with four now adult children, we have a small holding farm that is a hobby and a carry on of “The Goodlife”.

I hope I can bring to the role, a business-based clinician – with a broad experience of primary care provision of service. I would like to describe myself as someone who comes to the “table” with solutions not problems and is always thinking where do we need to be in 5 years.

Simon has been proposed by James Pugh and Hennie Muller

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Stephanie Fenesan

BDS, BSc (Hons), AKC, MJDF, PG Dip SCD, MSc, MSCD RCSEd

I completed my dental undergraduate training in 2012 from King’s College London where I had my first experiences of providing dental treatment with conscious sedation techniques. These included inhalation sedation in the paediatric dentistry department and intravenous sedation in the oral surgery and special care dentistry departments which I thoroughly enjoyed and found a brilliant introduction into these techniques. Following graduation, I then completed dental foundation training on the south coast and did a further 2 years of Dental Core Training in Special Care Dentistry and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. In these positions, I gained further experience in providing inhalation and intravenous sedation, as well as providing dental treatment under general anaesthetic. I then went on to work within the special care dental service gaining more experience providing inhalation sedation and during this time I went on a SAAD course for conscious sedation.

In 2019 I started specialty training in Special Care Dentistry at Guy’s Hospital gaining further experience in providing conscious sedation techniques and learning additional techniques, including oral and intranasal sedation and care under general anaesthesia. Alongside my specialty training I completed my Masters in Special Care Dentistry at King’s College London and as part of my thesis completed a systematic review looking at the success of intravenous sedation with midazolam in dentistry.

I am currently working as a specialist in Special Care Dentistry in the special care dental service in London and Hertfordshire and am due to start a locum consultant post at the Eastman Dental Hospital in the near future. I regularly provide dental care utilising various conscious sedation techniques, including inhalation sedation, transmucosal and intravenous sedation for a wide variety of patients, including those with dental anxiety, learning disabilities and complex medical conditions.

I am a current mentor for new starters providing conscious sedation, including post- graduate dentists and nurses for inhalation sedation and intravenous sedation as well as a clinical supervisor for specialty trainees in special care dentistry. I also have previous experience of teaching and supervising dental undergraduate students. Being involved in teaching has reinforced my commitment to providing high-quality care while also ensuring that the next generation of dental professionals is well equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to provide safe and effective treatment.

Positions of responsibility I have previously held include being on the committee for the British Society of Gerodontology where I developed tools for assessing the oral hygiene of older adults in care homes and presented a webinar on oral health in older adults in conjunction with the British Geriatric Society. I was the specialty trainee representative for the regional SCD Specialist Training Committee and coordinated regular trainee led teaching events as well as organising and hosting teaching events for regional trainees.

If elected to the SAAD Board of Trustees, I would bring my clinical expertise, a commitment to education, and a strong advocacy for patient-centred care. I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of sedation in dentistry and to work collaboratively with fellow board members to promote excellence in practice. Thank you for considering my nomination. I look forward to the possibility of serving on the Board, where I hope to make a meaningful impact on the future of sedation in dentistry.

Stephanie has been proposed by Sadie Hughes and Joanna Hawkes

 

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