Background: The need of the orthodontic problems of special needs children in Fiji was previously unknown. This research identifies the orthodontic treatment needs of 12 – 15 year old children attending special schools in Fiji. The Dental Health Component of this index has been used to categorize the treatment of malocclusion into groups according to priority or need for treatment.

Objectives: This research has been carried out to determine the orthodontic treatment needs of 12 – 15 year old children attending special schools in Fiji.

Methods: A calibrated Index of Orthodontic Treatment Needs (IOTN) Manchester ruler was used to identify scoring traits for 46 special needs and 46 non-special needs children. The dental health component of IOTN placed each 12- 15 year old into the appropriate grade of treatment as no, little, moderate, great and very great need for treatment. Results: 80% of the special needs children had some form of malocclusion and out of these 73% indicated a great and very great need for treatment in these groups. 81% of children with a medical condition had some form of malocclusion requiring orthodontic treatment. Conclusions: Children attending special schools appear to have a greater need for orthodontic treatment than children attending non-special schools. Orthodontic treatment need is also high amongst children with an underlying medical condition.

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