Dental fear is common among children as well as adults due to the high intensity of pain. Provision to control adequate anxiety and pain has been an integral part of medical and dental treatment and practice. The level of sedation must be such that the patient remains conscious and able to understand as well as respond to verbal commands. The level required for sedation should be adjusted to achieve a proper balance between the need of the patient, the surgical procedure, and the safety of the patient. Various sedation techniques using many different anesthetic agents have become popular over the past few years. These techniques have a high success rate with low adverse effects, but effective training of these techniques is required. This article summarizes the history, principles, applications, indications, contraindications, the need for conscious sedation, various agents used, and route of administration of these agents in the field of medicine and dentistry.