OBJECTIVE: The study set out to document the pattern of oral cancers (ICD-O: C00-C06) diagnosed histologically at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos between January 1987 and December 2002. METHOD: Information on socio-demographics of patients and cancer management were retrieved from the files and histopathology records of patients seen at the hospitals. RESULTS: A total of 54 cases of oral cancers (7.6% of head and neck cancers) were reported, with a M-F ratio of 2.4:1 and with childhood cancers constituting 5.7%. There was a higher occurrence of oral cancers in patients aged 40 years and below, relative to reported findings in developed countries (p<0.05).Carcinomas were the predominant cancers (80.5%), while the AIDS-related cancers, kaposi sarcoma and non-hodgkin’s lymphoma, constituted 7.4% of oral cancers.Oral cancers were commonly reported in the tongue (33.3%), palate (27.8%) and lip (16.7%), with squamous cell carcinoma predominating in all reported sites. All the staged cancers were seen in the stage IV of the disease, while the mean duration of symptoms was least with tongue cancers (13 ± 13.3 months) and longest with lip cancers (23 ± 22.9 months).CONCLUSION: Oral cancers were prevalent in the tongue with about half of the patients being 40 years and below. There has since been an 8-fold rise in the yearly rate of AIDS-related cancers in Jos. The survival rates of patients diagnosed of oral cancers, though not documented, would be expectedly low in view of the prognostic indicators recorded. The routine oral cancer screening of each patient and counseling of patients with high-risk habits, by dentists is recommended to improve the prognosis of the disease. The study was funded by a grant from RCORTI for Africa, Jos.