Introduction: There is a growing interest in the oral health of elderly people as the size of this population is increasing around the world. Oral health is important part of general health and includes teeth, periodontal health, oral mucosal health and prosthetic rehabilitation. The aims of this study were to examine the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions and oral sensorial complaints, as well as periodontal health and oral hygiene level between the institutionalized and non-institutionalized elderly. Also, the aims were to determine dental status, prosthetic status and influence of dental material to oral tissue between groups. Material and methods: The study involved two groups of elderly subjects: the institutionalized residing in a nursing home in Rijeka and the non-institutionalized elderly. A total of 341 subjects were included, 280 institutionalized and 61 non- institutionalized. All patients underwent an oral examination to detect underlying oral diseases related to oral symptoms. The examination consisted of complete anamnesis and clinical status according to registration form designed for this purpose. Results: The prevalence of oral mucosal lesions was significantly higher in the institutionalized elderly compared with the non-institutionalized elderly (p=0,016). Low salivary flow was found to be more common in the institutionalized elderly than in the noninstitutionalized elderly (p=0,001), as well as dry mouth (p=0,001) and taste disturbance (p=0,035).Significantly higher level of oral colonization with Candida species and oral candidiasis were found in the institutionalized elderly comparing to the non-institutionalized elderly (p<0,001). A significant difference was observed between the groups in DMFT index (p<0,001). Institutionalized elderly had worse periodontal health (p<0,017). Lower number of prosthetic appliances was observed in the institutionalized elderly (p=0, 0009). Conclusions: It can be concluded that the institutionalized elderly are significantly affected with oral mucosal lesions and oral sensorial complaints. They also have worse periodontal health and lower number of prosthetic appliances compared with the non-institutionalized elderly.