SAAD - Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry

What SAAD - Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry does

SAAD - Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry is a UK-registered dental charity (Charity Number 1107420) that has provided postgraduate education in conscious dental sedation since developing from a late-1950s study club. The society's stated mission is the advancement of knowledge in pain and anxiety control for dentistry, and it describes itself as one of the UK's largest postgraduate teaching organisations for dentistry. Its core products are STAC-accredited training schemes that satisfy IACSD/SDCEP standards for independent sedation practice: the SAAD National Course in Conscious Sedation for Dentistry (and a parallel course for dental nurses), the SAAD Life Support (ILS) course, and the assessed SAS, SASN, and SASH/T schemes for dentists, dental nurses, and dental hygienists/therapists respectively, priced between £150 and £1,585 per enrolment. Adjacent offerings include an annual symposium at the Royal Society of Medicine, online sedation CPD built around refereed papers in the SAAD Digest (its peer-reviewed journal published twice yearly since 1970), the Safe Sedation Practice Scheme and Safe Sedation Certificate for facility-level validation, the CBT for Dental Anxiety manual, and research grants up to £5,000.

SAAD operates a web-based learning management system for online CPD and a remote evaluation tool for the Safe Sedation Certificate, alongside standard digital registration and booking on saad.org.uk. In-person training is delivered at Queen Mary University of London's Mile End Campus and at the Royal Society of Medicine; blended formats combine online theory with practical sessions. Revenue is generated through per-course fees (one-time/perpetual licence), annual membership subscriptions (£25-£70), the annual symposium, training scheme fees, and publication/manual sales; there are no disclosed enterprise or recurring subscription contracts. The society serves UK-based general dental practitioners, dental nurses, dental hygienists and therapists, and special care and paediatric dentistry professionals, with free undergraduate membership offered to UK and Ireland students. The organisation has six employees and is led by President Yi Loo, with Carole Boyle as Course Director and Nigel Robb as Editor of the SAAD Digest.

The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer: dental professionals self-register through the SAAD website for courses, events, and membership, with marketing conducted via social channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn), email newsletters, and the SAAD Digest itself. A member-benefit partnership with Kiroku extends AI-powered dental note-taking tools into the SAAD ecosystem. In 2026 SAAD issued updated national 'Guidance on Conscious Sedation for Dentistry', positioning itself in the standards-setting vacuum created by the disbandment of the IACSD committee.

Name

SAAD - Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry

Legal name

The Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry

Website

https://saad.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SAAD is a UK dental charity providing STAC-accredited postgraduate training, certification, and CPD in conscious dental sedation for dentists, dental nurses, and dental hygienists/therapists, plus the SAAD Digest journal and practice validation services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dental Sedation Education and Training

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Dental Anesthesiology & Sedation Group Practices (HLABAKAI)

Keywords

• Dental sedation training
• Conscious sedation courses
• Postgraduate dental education
• Sedation certification schemes
• Professional dental CPD

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Course Fees: Revenue from in-person and blended format sedation training courses for dentists, dental nurses, and dental hygienists/therapists. Fees vary by role and format, with early bird discounts available.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership subscriptions for dental and medical professionals (£60 UK, £70 overseas), nurses/hygienists/therapists (£25 UK, £28 overseas), with free student membership for UK/Ireland undergraduates. Benefits include complimentary online CPD and discounted event access.
3. Annual Symposium: Annual scientific symposium with registration fees ranging from £72 (undergraduate members) to £287 (non-member), providing CPD hours and networking opportunities.
4. Training Schemes (SAS, SASN, SASH/T): STAC-accredited assessed training schemes with supervision and portfolio verification, including SAS scheme for dentists (£1,585), SASN for nurses (£1,165), and SASH/T for hygienists/therapists (£640).
5. Publications and Merchandise: Sales of the SAAD Digest journal (included with membership), CBT for Dental Anxiety Manual (£30), and online CPD subscriptions for non-members.
6. Research Grants Disbursement: SAAD funds research grants up to £5,000 for pain and anxiety control research in dentistry, and occasional PhD funding, representing an outflow rather than revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SAAD is a UK dental charity that provides postgraduate education, training, and certification for safe conscious sedation in dentistry. It delivers STAC-accredited in-person and blended training courses, assessed training schemes (SAS, SASN, SASH/T), an annual scientific symposium, online sedation CPD, peer-reviewed publications (SAAD Digest), and practice validation services (SSPS, SSC) for dental professionals across the UK.

Product overview

SAAD (Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry) operates as a dental charity providing postgraduate education for safe conscious sedation in dentistry. The core offering consists of accredited training courses for the entire dental team: the SAAD National Course in Conscious Sedation for Dentistry and the SAAD Life Support (ILS) course for foundational skills, supplemented by three assessed training schemes (SAS for dentists, SASN for dental nurses, and SASH/T for hygienists/therapists) that enable independent practice upon completion. Additional offerings include annual symposiums, online sedation CPD, the SAAD Digest peer-reviewed journal, newsletters, and research grants. Practice validation services include the Safe Sedation Practice Scheme (SSPS) with facility visits and the Safe Sedation Certificate (SSC) for web-based evaluation. Member benefits extend to sedation logbooks, training scenario resources, and a partnership with Kiroku providing SAAD-branded documentation templates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SAAD National Course in Conscious Sedation for Dentistry

Quantifiable outcome

• STAC accreditation for independent practice
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Society for the Advancement of Dental SEDATION - wait, that's SAAD itself: (Placeholder removed — included only verified peers below.)

Broad incumbents

• British Dental Association (BDA): The UK's main professional association for dentists, offering broader professional education, CPD, and policy advocacy. Comparable as a UK dental professional society delivering training and CPD, though BDA covers all dentistry rather than specialising in sedation.
• Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) (FGDP): Professional faculty within the Royal College of Surgeons of England focused on general dental practice standards, education, and postgraduate qualifications. Comparable as a UK standards-setter and training pathway provider for general dental practitioners.
• Faculty of Dental Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons of England: Runs postgraduate dental examinations, diplomas, and accreditation pathways for UK dental specialists. Comparable as a standards-setting and training body whose qualifications are required for advanced practice, similar to SAAD's role in sedation accreditation.

Direct peers

• British Association of Oral Surgeons (BAOS): UK professional association for oral surgeons, providing education, training events, and clinical guidelines. Comparable as a UK specialist dental society running accredited CPD events and member training pathways, intersecting with SAAD's oral surgeon trustee base.
• American Dental Society of Anesthesiology (ADSA): US-based professional society dedicated to dental anesthesia, sedation, and pain control. Closest functional peer to SAAD: provides sedation-focused continuing education, sedation guidelines, and practitioner training in a regulated dental context.
• International Federation of Dental Anaesthesiology Societies (IFDAS): Global federation of national dental anaesthesia societies. SAAD's past president has served as IFDAS president; comparable as the umbrella body for dental sedation education, training standards, and international knowledge exchange.
• Association of Dental Implantology UK (ADI): UK-based professional society offering postgraduate education, training pathways, and certification for a specific dental discipline (implantology). Closely comparable business model to SAAD: specialist society delivering accredited courses, membership, and an annual scientific meeting.
• British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy (BSDHT): UK professional body for dental hygienists and therapists, providing CPD, training, and practice resources. Comparable as a role-specific UK dental society serving one segment of the dental team — overlapping SAAD's hygienist/therapist audience.

Regional players

• Society of Teachers of Anaesthesia (STA): UK society focused on teaching and training in anaesthesia (medical, not dental). Comparable in structure as a specialist UK society dedicated to anaesthesia education, though serving a different clinical specialty.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SAADDental
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saaddentistry
• Instagraminstagram.com/SAADdentistry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SAAD - Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry