Conscious Sedation: A Bridge between the Real and Ethereal

The most frequently encountered and unavoidable phenomenon in a dental practice is pain, often accompanied by fear and anxiety. Local anesthetic, which forms the foundation for pain-free dental treatment, does not serve the purpose in anxious patients and needs augmentation with “Conscious Sedation’’ techniques. Nitrous oxide is a frequently used inhalation anaesthetic in dentistry as it is known to provide anxiolysis, mild analgesia, and amnesia. It has proved to be safe in delivering conscious sedation for apprehensive dental patients. This review discusses the role of Nitrous oxide inhalation sedation (NOIS) in the field of endodontics highlighting its objectives, advantages and indications. It also brings to light the multidisciplinary applications of NOIS in dentistry.