Case Study: British Dental Association achieves a £600,000 revenue stream and 600 new users/month with Totara Learn

British Dental Association transforms its LMS for dental professionals into a strong revenue stream

The British Dental Association (BDA), the UK professional body and trade union for dentists and dental students, needed in 2013 to consolidate scattered face‑to‑face and online learning into a single, easy‑to‑use LMS that would let members complete and prove continuing professional development to the General Dental Council. Their priorities were fast, low‑effort course delivery, reliable activity recording, and a streamlined, secure login experience so busy clinicians wouldn’t be deterred by poor usability or multiple accounts.

Working with Totara Learn (via Catalyst), BDA built a secure, open‑source platform with custom authentication (registration‑number verification), support for free and paid content (PayPal), SCORM/video/assignment delivery, and automated enrolment. The result is a new revenue channel—about £600,000 in 2017—around 600 self‑registered users per month, far less manual administration, and growing engagement as BDA expands its course catalog.

British Dental Association

Stephen MacDonald

Head of Education Services