BACKGROUND: The population of elderly people remains at greater risk for oral and dental pathologies as they very often don’t receive the necessary and timely oral care. Institutionalised individuals generally present with worse oral health as they very often depend on caregivers for oral health care provision. This study aimed to assess the DMFT scores in a population of elderly people in Zagreb, Croatia and compare it between institutionalised and non-institutionalised individuals. METHODS: This cross-sectional research was conducted as part of a volunteer academic student initiative called The Geronto Project. Study participants comprised individuals from five nursing homes and one community association of retirees in Zagreb, Croatia. A questionnaire was used to record demographic, health- and oral-health-related data. In addition, calibrated students under supervision of senior clinicians performed comprehensive oral examination, and recorded clinical data. RESULTS: A total of 114 participants, 93 nursing home residents and 21 retirees, were involved (81,1±8.5 years, 75.4% female). Nursing home residents were significantly older than community retirees, 83.6±6.8 vs 70.3±6.8, respectively. Nursing home residents had a significantly higher mean DMFT score, 23.9 vs 18.4 (p=0.013) and an M component score, 22.4 vs 14.7 (p=0.000). F component score was significantly higher among community retirees compared to nursing home residents, 2.7 vs 0.9 (p=0.000). The D component score was the lowest among all components for both nursing home residents and community retirees, 0.6 and 1.0, respectively. F component was generally significantly higher in men. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest a generally poor oral status of the elderly in the Zagreb area. Institutionalised individuals presented worse oral status than non-institutionalised, with a more significant tooth loss. High DMFT scores were mainly contributed to by the number of extracted teeth.