Background and purpose: Many conditions and oral lesions are associated with aging that could have considerable impact on quality of life. This study investigated the prevalence of oral lesions in elderly in nursing homes.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 90 residents (over 60 years of age) in nursing homes in Sari and Babol, Iran, 2015. Data was recorded in a checklist and analyzed in SPSS ver.16 applying T-test, Chi-square and Fisher exact tests.

Results: We studied 90 individuals including 26 males (28.9%) and 64 females (71.1%), mean age: 78.8 years. All elderly were found to have at least one lesion of the oral mucosa. The most common lesions were fissured tongue (55.6%), varicosity (46.7%), pigmentation (26.7%), candidiasis (25.6%) and sublingual varices (21.1%). Varicosity was more prevalent in men. 63.1% of the lesions were observed in tongue. The lesions in 60% of the people were due to wearing dentures (P< 0.05). There was no significant association between smoking and the prevalence of oral lesions.

Conclusion: High prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in studied population signifies the need for more serious oral examinations and follow-up of this group of people.