Recently the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) and Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) were introduced in the United Kingdom as a standard for future epidemiological research in orthodontics. The purpose of this study was to assess the suitability of these indices for South African epidemiological studies and to evaluate the treatment need of a group of senior dental students. Examinations in accordance with the IOTN and PAR were performed on 206 dental students by three postgraduate orthodontic students. According to the Dental Health Component of the IOTN 54.9 per cent of the sample had no treatment need, 26.7 per cent had a moderate treatment need and 18.4 per cent had an urgent treatment need. 74.2 per cent of the students were at the no-treatment-needed end of the aesthetic scale, which compared poorly with the 88.5 per cent recorded by student self assessment. The majority of dental students in this study were not in need of orthodontic treatment. Certain occlusal traits common to negroids, such as bimaxillary protrusion, are not represented in these assessment instruments and minor adjustments may be needed to make the systems more applicable in these population groups.