Some studies in Australia, Brazil and Germany pointed to alcohol-containing mouthwashes as also being potential causes. The claim was that constant exposure to these alcohol-containing rinses, even in the absence of smoking and drinking, leads to significant increases in the development of oral cancer. However, studies conducted in 1985, 1995, and 2003 summarize that alcohol-containing mouth rinses are not associated with oral cancer. In a March 2009 brief, the American Dental Association said "the available evidence does not support a connection between oral cancer and alcohol-containing mouthrinse". A 2008 study suggests that acetaldehyde (a breakdown product of alcohol) is implicated in oral cancer, but this study specifically focused on abusers of alcohol and made no reference to mouthwash. Any connection between oral cancer and mouthwash is tenuous without further investigation.

In a study of Europeans, smoking and other tobacco use was associated with about 75 percent of oral cancer cases, caused by irritation of the mucous membranes of the mouth from smoke and heat of cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. Tobacco contains over 60 known carcinogens, and the combustion of it, and by-products from this process, is the primary mode of involvement. Use of chewing tobacco or snuff causes irritation from direct contact with the mucous membranes.

Tobacco use in any form by itself, and even more so in combination with heavy alcohol consumption, continues to be an important risk factor for oral cancer. However, due to the current trends in the spread of HPV16, as of early 2011 the virus is now considered the primary causative factor in 63% of newly diagnosed patients.

Smoking and alcohol abuse as the major risk factors. Viral causes has recently been taken under consideration as one of the risk factors. Viruses such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) (majorly involved in causing nasopharyngeal carcinoma) and human papilloma virus are included in this category. Chewing of betel nut ("Areca catechu") quid has been directly associated to cause oral cancers. It has also been stated under the FDA poisonous plant data base by the U.S Food and Drug Administration

An unbalanced diet, deficit in fruits and vegetables has shown to increase the risk of cancer.

The annual incidence rates per million for ameloblastomas are 1.96, 1.20, 0.18 and 0.44 for black males, black females, white males and white females respectively. Ameloblastomas account for about one percent of all oral tumors and about 18% of odontogenic tumors. Men and women tend to be equally affected, although women tend to be 4 years younger than men when tumors first occur and tumors appear to be larger in females.

Recurrence is common, although the recurrence rates for block resection followed by bone graft are lower than those of enucleation and curettage. Follicular variants appear to recur more than plexiform variants. Unicystic tumors recur less frequently than "non-unicystic" tumors. Persistent follow-up examination is essential for managing ameloblastoma. Follow up should occur at regular intervals for at least 10 years. Follow up is important, because 50% of all recurrences occur within 5 years postoperatively. Recurrence within a bone graft (following resection of the original tumor) does occur, but is less common. Seeding to the bone graft is suspected as a cause of recurrence. The recurrences in these cases seem to stem from the soft tissues, especially the adjacent periosteum. Recurrence has been reported to occur as many as 36 years after treatment.

To reduce the likelihood of recurrence within grafted bone, meticulous surgery with attention to the adjacent soft tissues is required.

NBCCS has an incidence of 1 in 50,000 to 150,000 with higher incidence in Australia. One aspect of NBCCS is that basal-cell carcinomas will occur on areas of the body which are not generally exposed to sunlight, such as the palms and soles of the feet and lesions may develop at the base of palmar and plantar pits.

One of the prime features of NBCCS is development of multiple BCCs at an early age, often in the teen years. Each person who has this syndrome is affected to a different degree, some having many more characteristics of the condition than others.

It is fairly uncommon, but It is seen more in young people. Two thirds of the cases are found in females.

Around 75% of cases are caused by alcohol and tobacco use.

Tobacco smoke is one of the main risk factors for head and neck cancer and one of the most carcinogenic compounds in tobacco smoke is acrylonitrile. (See Tobacco smoking). Acrylonitrile appears to indirectly cause DNA damage by increasing oxidative stress, leading to increased levels of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) and formamidopyrimidine in DNA (see image). Both 8-oxo-dG and formamidopyrimidine are mutagenic. DNA glycosylase NEIL1 prevents mutagenesis by 8-oxo-dG and removes formamidopyrimidines from DNA.

However, cigarette smokers have a lifetime increased risk for head and neck cancers that is 5- to 25-fold increased over the general population.

The ex-smoker's risk for squamous cell cancer of the head and neck begins to approach the risk in the general population twenty years after smoking cessation. The high prevalence of tobacco and alcohol use worldwide and the high association of these cancers with these substances makes them ideal targets for enhanced cancer prevention.

Smokeless tobacco is cause of oral and pharyngeal cancers (oropharyngeal cancer). Cigar smoking is an important risk factor for oral cancers as well.

Other environmental carcinogens suspected of being potential causes of head and neck cancer include occupational exposures such as nickel refining, exposure to textile fibers, and woodworking. Use of marijuana, especially while younger, is linked to an increase in squamous-cell carcinoma cases while other studies suggest use is not shown to be associated with oral squamous cell carcinoma, or associated with decreased squamous cell carcinoma.

They are more common in males than females, occurring in a ratio of about 5:1. They are strongly associated with the presence of torus mandibularis and torus palatinus.

Metastatic tumor of jaws is the most common form of cancer involving bone. It affects the mandible in 61% of cases, the maxilla in 24% of cases, and soft tissue in 16% of cases. In the majority of cases, the tumor originated in the breast, lung, kidney, colon, or prostate. The original tumor usually spreads to the jaws through Batson's paravertebral plexus. Teeth can become mobile and paresthesia can occur. On radiographs, the periodontal ligaments appear widened, and the cancer has a moth-eaten appearance.

Excessive consumption of processed meats and red meat were associated with increased rates of cancer of the head and neck in one study, while consumption of raw and cooked vegetables seemed to be protective.

Vitamin E was not found to prevent the development of leukoplakia, the white plaques that are the precursor for carcinomas of the mucosal surfaces, in adult smokers.

Another study examined a combination of Vitamin E and beta carotene in smokers with early-stage cancer of the oropharynx, and found a worse prognosis in the vitamin users.

Stafne defect is uncommon, and has been reported to develop anywhere between the ages of 11 and 30 years old, (although the defect is developmental, it does not seem to be present form birth, implying that the lesion develops at a later age). Usually the defect is unilateral (on one side only) and most commonly occurs in men.

The adenomatoid odontogenic tumor is an odontogenic tumor arising from the enamel organ or dental lamina.

Age and gender have an effect on the incidence of these lesions; they are more prevalent in women than men (though still common in both genders), and they appear more frequently with age. Due to the standard of medical care and screening in developed countries, it is increasingly rare for primary hyperparathyroidism to present with accompanying bone disease. This is not the case in less developed nations, however, and the two conditions are more often seen together.

Tonsillar carcinoma can be either HPV related or HPV unrelated. It is shown that cases which are HPV positive have a better prognosis than those with HPV negative oropharyngeal cancer.

Cementoma is an odontogenic tumor of cementum. It usually occurs after root development is finished, found predominantly in African American women older than 40. It is found most commonly in the mandible in the region of the lower molar teeth. It causes distortion of surrounding areas but is a usually painless growth, at least initially. Considerable thickening of the cementum can often be observed. A periapical form is also recognized.

The central odontogenic fibroma is a rare benign odontogenic tumor. It is more common in adults, with the average age being 40. It is twice as likely to affect women than men. It is usually found either in the anterior maxilla or the posterior mandible. Radiographically it presents with either radiolucency or mixed radiolucency/opaque. The simple type is characterized by delicate fibrillar stroma of collagen containing fibroblasts; the WHO type is characterized by more mature fibrillar stroma of collagen. Treatment is by surgical removal

Its cause is unknown, but there is a strong association with cigarette smoking. Smokers are at 8 times greater risk of developing Warthin's tumor than the general population.

Several research groups are investigating cancer stem cells and their potential to cause tumors along with genes and proteins causative in different phenotypes.Radiotherapy for unrelated conditions may be a rare cause.

- Familial cases where the deletion of chromosome 13q14 inactivates the retinoblastoma gene is associated with a high risk of osteosarcoma development.

- Bone dysplasias, including Paget's disease of bone, fibrous dysplasia, enchondromatosis, and hereditary multiple exostoses, increase the risk of osteosarcoma.

- Li–Fraumeni syndrome (germline TP53 mutation) is a predisposing factor for osteosarcoma development.

- Rothmund–Thomson syndrome (i.e. autosomal recessive association of congenital bone defects, hair and skin dysplasias, hypogonadism, and cataracts) is associated with increased risk of this disease.

- Large doses of Sr-90 emission from nuclear reactor, nicknamed bone seeker increases the risk of bone cancer and leukemia in animals, and is presumed to do so in people.

Despite persistent rumors suggesting otherwise, there is no clear association between water fluoridation and cancer or deaths due to cancer, both for cancer in general and also specifically for bone cancer and osteosarcoma. Series of research concluded that concentration of fluoride in water doesn't associate with osteosarcoma. The beliefs regarding association of fluoride exposure and osteosarcoma stem from a study of US National Toxicology program in 1990, which showed uncertain evidence of association of fluoride and osteosarcoma in male rats. But there is still no solid evidence of cancer-causing tendency of fluoride in mice. Fluoridation of water has been practiced around the world to improve citizens' dental health. It is also deemed as major health success. Fluoride concentration levels in water supplies are regulated, such as United States Environmental Protection Agency regulates fluoride levels to not be greater than 4 milligrams per liter. Actually, water supplies already have natural occurring fluoride, but many communities chose to add more fluoride to the point that it can reduce tooth decay. Fluoride is also known for its ability to cause new bone formation. Yet, further research shows no osteosarcoma risks from fluoridated water in humans. Most of the research involved counting number of osteosarcoma patients cases in particular areas which has difference concentrations of fluoride in drinking water. The statistic analysis of the data shows no significant difference in occurrences of osteosarcoma cases in different fluoridated regions. Another important research involved collecting bone samples from osteosarcoma patients to measure fluoride concentration and compare them to bone samples of newly diagnosed malignant bone tumors. The result is that the median fluoride concentrations in bone samples of osteosarcoma patients and tumor controls are not significantly different. Not only fluoride concentration in bones, Fluoride exposures of osteosarcoma patients are also proven to be not significantly different from healthy people.

A buccal exostosis (also termed alveolar exostosis), is an exostosis (bone prominence) on the buccal surface (cheek side) of the alveolar ridge of the maxilla or mandible. Some consider them a variation of normal anatomy rather than a disease.

Treatment is usually supportive treatment, that is, treatment to reduce any symptoms rather than to cure the condition.

- Enucleation of the odontogenic cysts can help, but new lesions, infections and jaw deformity are usually a result.

- The severity of the basal-cell carcinoma determines the prognosis for most patients. BCCs rarely cause gross disfigurement, disability or death .

- Genetic counseling

Four types of cementomas are described :

- Benign cementoblastoma

- Periapical cemental dysplasia

- Multiple apical cementomas

- Gigantiform cementoma

Warthin's tumor, also known as papillary cystadenoma lymphomatosum, is a benign cystic tumor of the salivary glands containing abundant lymphocytes and germinal centers (lymph node-like stroma). It is named for pathologist Aldred Scott Warthin, who described two cases in 1929.

Central giant-cell granuloma (CGCG) is a benign condition of the jaws. It is twice as likely to affect women and is more likely to occur in 20- to 40-year-old people. Central giant-cell granulomas are more common in the mandible and often cross the midline.

The brown tumor is a bone lesion that arises in settings of excess osteoclast activity, such as hyperparathyroidism. It is not a true neoplasm, as the term "tumor" suggests; however, it may mimic a true neoplasm. It most commonly affects the maxilla and mandible, though any bone may be affected. Brown tumours are radiolucent on x-ray.