Association of Dental Anaesthetists and Sedationists
ADAS Council
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BDS, MJDF RcS Eng, MSc
President, Association of Dental Anaesthetists and Sedationists (ADAS)
Dr Shilpa Shah is a dentist and dental sedationist based in Manchester, with over a decade of experience in conscious sedation, anxiety management and complex dental care. She graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2010 and developed her passion for sedation during her hospital training, particularly working with paediatric and special care patients requiring sedation and general anaesthesia in both Community and Hospital settings.
She subsequently undertook further training at Manchester Dental Hospital, where she continues to provide inhalation and intravenous sedation and contributes to the teaching and training of dental professionals. In 2013, Shilpa established Dental Sedation Solutions, a mobile and referral-based sedation service supporting dental practices across the North West and beyond. Through this work, she has helped improve access to safe, patient-centred sedation for children and adults in primary care, particularly those experiencing significant dental anxiety and those with additional needs.
Shilpa has a strong commitment to education, professional development and the advancement of sedation practice. She regularly lectures, teaches and mentors dentists and dental teams in sedation and anxiety management, and has contributed to postgraduate education and professional organisations, including the SAAD Board of Trustees.
A member of the ADAS Council since 2023, Shilpa became Vice President in 2024 and will assume the Presidency in September 2026. As President, she is passionate about strengthening education, collaboration and professional standards while championing safe, accessible and evidence-based sedation care across dentistry.
Outside of work, Shilpa enjoys an active, healthy lifestyle, including travelling, hiking, scuba diving and wild swimming
Dr Azher Ashraf is a Consultant Anaesthetist and Sedation Lead at Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust and is a Partner at Sedation Solutions – a Care Quality Commission–registered provider delivering around 3,000 sedations annually for dental and medical procedures, across London and the South-East.
Representing ADAS on the Intercollegiate Advisory Committee for Sedation in Dentistry (IACSD), Dr Ashraf contributes to the development of consensus-based UK dental sedation policy. He is a regular speaker at national conferences and events, sharing expertise on best practices in sedation and patient safety.
Dr Ashraf graduated from the University of Cambridge (2005) and University College London (2008). His medical career began in Oxford, and included a period in Australia, before completing specialist anaesthetic training in the Oxford and London Schools of Anaesthesia. His training encompassed posts at several prestigious UK institutions, including the John Radcliffe Hospital, UCLH, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, St Bartholomew’s, and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals.
A strong advocate for safe and effective conscious sedation, Dr Ashraf is committed to advancing education, research, and clinical excellence in the field. He co-developed the Ashraf–Jawad Three-Arm Sedation Scale (TASS) and leads on research and educational initiatives within Sedation Solutions. Formerly the Programme Director for Dental Sedation and Pain Management at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute, he taught, examined, and led the one-year Postgraduate Certificate course, supporting dentists in developing their competence and confidence in sedation practice.
As ADAS President, Dr Ashraf has focused Council effort on strengthening our educational and structural foundations, fostering active member engagement, and delivering high-quality educational content. ADAS has restructured its Council with dedicated leads and subcommittees, appointed a new administrative support team, is developing a fit for purpose Constitution and a refreshed website. Following the success of the 2025 ADAS Conference, preparations are well underway to make the 2026 event even more impactful.
In 2025, ADAS conducted a national survey exploring the scope of sedation practice for children and adults across both primary and secondary dental care. The findings provided valuable insights into UK sedation practice—particularly within primary care—and shared with IACSD. Dr Ashraf aims to establish this, as an annual collaborative review, in partnership with other leading dental organisations.
Outside his professional life, Azher is married with two young boys. He enjoys family life, travelling and exploring new parts of the world.
Dr Carmen Foster qualified as a medical doctor from WITS University, South Africa in 2015, after which she completed her internship and community service at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Africa’s largest hospital. She then gained extensive experience in private South African Emergency Departments before relocating to the UK in 2020.
Carmen now serves as a Senior Anaesthetic and Intensive Care doctor in South West London and as a mobile sedationist providing intravenous sedation for dentistry patients in primary care.
In 2026, Carmen completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Sedation and Pain Management through the University of the Free State, South Africa.
In her free time, Carmen enjoys scenic country walks, Pilates and cooking up feasts for family and friends.
Dr Rudi Swart started in Emergency Medicine as an A&E Doctor where he regularly performed emergency procedures under sedation. In 2008 he became involved with both adult and paediatric sedations in NHS dental sedation referral centres and a few years later provided sedations in private dental clinics. In 2014 he accepted a post for a year as an honorary lecturer with UCL training dentists in the post-graduate sedation diploma course. In 2016 he became a member of the ADA Council and attended the Procedural Sedation in Children course in the USA. He has been certified with the Resuscitation Council (UK) for ALS, PALS and ATLS over the last 10 years.
Dr Xin Hui Yeo is a Consultant in Special Care Dentistry with a special interest in conscious sedation and implant dentistry.
After completing her specialty training at the Royal London Hospital in 2023, she spent a year abroad as an ITI Scholar at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok to gain further exposure in implant dentistry. Her research contributions in dental sedation, special care dentistry and implant dentistry have been published in leading journals, and she has received a number of awards for presenting her work. Xin is committed to advancing patient-centred care and education in dental sedation and special care dentistry.
She has completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Conscious Sedation in Dentistry with Distinction from King’s College London and is using sedation routinely in her daily role. She has continued to further her learning by attending local, national and international dental conferences and has presented in several of them. She was recently awarded 1st prize for her poster on Remimazolam safety at the SAAD conference.
Outside work, she enjoys hiking, rock climbing and reading.
Dr. Will Botha qualified as a medical doctor from the University of Pretoria, South Africa in 2001 and moved to the U.K in 2003. He became involved in dental sedation soon after arriving in the U.K, practicing in NHS and private dental surgeries treating both adult and paediatric patients. This allowed him to accumulate considerable experience in the field. In 2008 hecompleted a post-graduate diploma in sedation and pain control at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa.
In 2010 he was one of the founding partners of Sedation Solutions LLP, providing sedation services to leading private clinics in London and the South East of England. He also works closely with the award winning Toothbeary Dental Practice Richmond (London), where he is the lead sedationist, providing advanced IV sedation for children.
Dr. Botha, along with some of his colleagues at Sedation Solutions, also works closely with a leading facial cosmetic surgeon at The Centre for Facial Cosmetic Surgery in Harley Street, where they perform advanced surgery under intravenous sedation.
Outside his professional life, Will is married and with 3 young boys, is kept quite active when not at work, especially during the summer cricket season. Will also enjoys long distance running and being in the outdoors as much as possible.
