Background:
Historically speaking, after World War II Poles were forced to migrate from central and eastern parts of pre-war Poland to south-western post-war territories of the country. In this context, the comparison and assessment of the state of dentition of seniors in south-eastern and south-western Poland born between 1935 and 1950 merits analysis.

Aim of the study:
To estimate similarities and differences between seniors’ dentition in two socioeconomically diverse regions of Poland.

Material and methods:
The research group comprised 202 elders, participants of the “third-age” university, who were divided into two regional groups: Wroclaw (south-western Poland) and Rzeszow (south-eastern Poland). The mean age was respectively 68 and 71 years. The clinical examination chart contained a standard dental diagram, in which missing teeth and type of prosthetic restoration were marked.

Results:
In the Wroclaw group, the average number of preserved teeth was significantly higher than in Rzeszow, 15.25 and 11.59, respectively (p<0.01). Significantly lower number of maxillary teeth was found relative to the age of men from Wroclaw. Bi-directional analysis of variance of the combined results of the study groups showed that the place of residence had a significant influence on the number of teeth preserved regardless of the age of the subjects. Edentulousness was found to be more common among the inhabitants of south-eastern Poland.

Conclusions:
Seniors from Wroclaw had a higher number of teeth in both of the dental arches, in comparison with their peers from Rzeszow. The statistical analysis indicates the lack of dimorphic differences – both men and women had a similar number of preserved teeth. The number of teeth in the maxilla is lower than in the mandible.