Abstract: Oral cancer is one of the most common cancers in human beings, with two-thirds of the cases occurring in the developing countries. Developments in the treatment have made great progress, but the relatively survival rate of oral cancer patients is low, and the 5 years survival rate is less than 50%. Studying the risk factors of oral cancer is very important, and the risk factors must be found for primary prevention to decrease the incidence of oral cancer. Alcohol is one of the main risk factors for oral cancer, and some epidemiological studies
have provided evidence that alcohol can induce cancer in human beings, but alcohol has not been confirmed to induce cancer in experimental animals. The research should include consumption of alcohol, type of alcoholic beverage, drinking habits, the effects in both sexes and the synergic interaction between alcohol and tobacco. Drinking and smoking is strongly associated with an increased risk of oral cancer, and the carcinogenic role which alcohol plays is difficult to assess because its consumption is usually combined with tobacco used, but cessation of alcohol and tobacco is the key element of the effective preventing measures against oral cancer.