Objective: To assess the characteristics of special needs patients assisted at the Clinic of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Federal University of Pará. Methods: A descriptive observational study conducted from March 2007 to December 2009, assessing 137 records of which were extracted the following data: gender, age, origin, current and past medical history, type of special needs and major oral diseases. We applied descriptive statistics, one-dimensional frequency table and prepared graphs of the results. Results: We found 77 (56.2%) male patients, with mean age of 8.1 years; 118 (86.2%) living in the state capital of Para, 21 (15.3%) with respiratory problems, 37 (27.3%) with some allergy to medicationsand 54 (39.4%) making use of controlled drugs. Regarding the type of special need, we observed that 29 (28.3%) had neurologic and psychomotor delay and the primary oral disease found was dental caries, affecting 84 (61.3%) subjects. Conclusion: The assessedprofile of patients with special needs is characterized by patients residing in the state capital of Para, with predominance of male children, with neurologic and psychomotor delay, witha mean age of 8.1 years, presenting mainly caries.