International Journal of Preventive Medicine (Int J Prev Med)2008-780211122021031724092409ENDental Research Centre, Department of Oral Pathology, Dental Faculty, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran & School of Medicine, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia20210317The oral cancer constitutes 48% of head and neck cancer cases. Ninety percent of oral cancer cases are histologically diagnosed as oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs). Despite new management strategies, the 5‑year survival rate of oral cancer is still below 50% in most countries. Head and neck cancers are heterogeneous tumors, and this characteristic of them provides a challenge to treatment plan. Due to the poor outcomes in oral cancer, prevention is a necessity. In this review, a relevant English Literature search in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar from 2000 to mid‑2018 was performed. All published articles related to oral cancer and its prevention were included. The risk factors of oral cancer and strategies of oral cancer prevention will be discussed.http://ijpm.mui.ac.ir/index.php/ijpm/article/view/2409http://ijpm.mui.ac.ir/index.php/ijpm/article/download/2409/717718236