Some patients are anxious about routine dental treatment; others, who may be able to cope with uncomplicated treatment, are worried by more unpleasant procedures such as minor oral surgery. Management approaches to anxiety vary according to its severity, the age of the patient, the degree of cooperation and the patient's medical history. Psychological approaches have been widely used and range from informal and common-sense methods to formal relaxation training and hypnosis. These techniques are safe, free from adverse effects and give the patient a sense of control. An increasing number of patients are managed with conscious sedation techniques in combination with local anaesthesia and the more severely anxious and uncooperative may require treatment under general anaesthesia. As patient awareness of the risk of anaesthesia and the availability of sedation have increased, so the popularity of conscious sedation for dentistry has increased.