Dental therapists/ hygienists
The SAAD Assessed Sedation Therapist (SASHT) scheme
The aim of the SASHT scheme it to provide the Dental Hygienist / Therapist with the knowledge, skills and attitudes required for the competent practice of inhalation conscious sedation for dentistry.
The course is compliant with the syllabus published by the IACSD in April 2015, updated in 2020, and has been accredited by IACSD.
The SASHT scheme comprises of knowledge and skills training, written & practical assessments, and supervised clinical experience.
Course Content
Anatomy, physiology and pharmacology
Patient assessment and treatment planning
Inhalation Sedation – theory and practical
Psychological, and other sedation techniques
Management of complications, airways skills & patients with medical problems
Current guidance & keeping away from the lawyers
Why choose this course
- Be taught by the country's best known dental sedation teachers
- A certificate of attendance is awarded at the end of the course
- Optional attendance of complimentary online case based discussion webinars
- Detailed course notes are provided
- This is a rewarding course, that is both educational and fun!
Objectives
- Explain the principles of safe and effective conscious sedation
- Describe patient assessment and treatment planning
- Describe the use of basic conscious sedation techniques including administration, monitoring, recovery and discharge
- Describe the management of sedation-related complications
Knowledge and skills training
The two-day SAAD National course provides the necessary knowledge and skills training
Detailed course notes are provided
The written assessment is in the form of a ‘Single Best Answer’ (SBA) online assessment completed at a time to suit you within four weeks of the start of the course.
The practical assessment assesses knowledge of the IS machine and clinical technique
Supervised clinical experience
The required supervised clinical experience comprises of ten cases where the participant has provided the sedation, and for five of those cases the participant should have provided both the sedation and the treatment.
The supervised clinical experience takes place at the participant’s work place. Participants will need to be able to nominate a supervisor before they attend the course; providing details of the supervisor’s experience and qualifications in sedation.
This supervisor must be the person who signs off the participant’s logbook and Direct Observation of Practice forms.
Based on the information you provide SAAD will have to confirm the suitability of the supervisor prior to the commencement of supervised clinical practice.
Please ensure that you can provide all of the required information at the time of registration because we cannot accept your registration without this.
1. Name(s) of the person(s) who will be supervising your clinical experience
2. The dental sedation qualifications of the supervisor(s).
3. The dental sedation experience of your supervisor(s). e.g. how long have they been providing sedation, how many cases and the case mix.
4. An indication of the inhalation sedation services offered.
5. The address of the sedation facility.
6. A brief description of the sedation facility
About Our Teaching
SAAD’s teaching is provided by a faculty of the best known names in dental sedation within the UK. Our course provides a sound foundation in basic conscious sedation techniques.
Most topics are covered by lectures, demonstrations and small group practical sessions.
There are practical skill stations in venepuncture, monitoring and Basic Life Support.
Students are encouraged to ask lots of questions!
Meet Our Faculty
Dr David Craig
Consultant in Special Care Dentistry at Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Visiting 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
Dr Mike Clarke
Mike qualified from Cardiff in 1979 and practised in North Yorkshire until 2005. He worked with DPL from 1995 until 2017; as an advisor for many years and then as the Head of Dental Underwriting Policy. He has been active in dental politics for many years and is a regular contributor to the dental press. He is a past chairman of the Dental Practitioners' Association, a former member of the Department of Health's Standing Dental Advisory Committee and a past vice-chairman of the BDA’s Private Practice Committee. He is currently a senior member of the Research Ethic Committee.
Former Head of Risk at Dental Protection Ltd., SAAD
Mrs Gilly Gooby
Gilly is a registered general nurse with a background of senior nursing posts in ITU, ED, general nursing and has been a Resus Officer for over 20 years, working within the NHS and also privately for her own company, Southern Resuscitation Services Ltd. Gilly is a Resuscitation Council instructor in both adult and paediatric, basic, immediate and advanced life support, teaching regularly both nationally and intentionally for a variety of health care settings.
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 practises as a general dental practitioner in Derbyshire. He has been an author of most national guidance documents on dental sedation in the last 15 years. Chris regularly 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
Dr Steve Jones
Stephen is Clinical Lead for Conscious Sedation in the School of Dentistry, University of Central Lancashire. In his previous role as a Clinical Director he was involved in the organisation and development of dental sedation within the Truste-based dental service in Cumbria. He gained the Diploma in Conscious Sedation from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1997.
Past President, 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
Miss Joanne Rushford
Joanne has assisted and demonstrated for many years on the techniques used in Conscious Dental Sedation. She teaches on the undergraduate and postgraduate sedation courses at Guy’s.
Dental Matron for sedation and SCD, 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 Emily Sherwin
Emily works in the Department of Sedation and Special Care Dentistry at Guy's Hospital and is involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. She has wide experience of providing sedation both in a community and hospital setting.
Consultant in sedation and SCD, 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 dental therapist or hygienist who was not providing 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 independently provide inhalation sedation.
If you are a new starter then you should register for the SAAD Assessed Sedation Therapist/Hygienist (SASHT) scheme.
Reserve a place on the SASHT scheme
Registration
IACSD
‘Standards for Conscious Sedation in the Provision of Dental Care’ (April 2015, updated 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).