The exceptionally high incidence of oral cancer in India poses a major health problem. Despite advancement in various treatment modalities, prognosis for many of the oral cancer patients is grave, mainly because of late diagnosis. Even though several etiological agents have been associated with oral cancer, the molecular mechanisms underlying oral oncogenesis is still an enigma. Oral carcinogenesis is considered to be a multi-hit process which involves a number of aberrant genetic events culminating in malignant transformation. Aberrations of two major classes of genes oncogene and tumour suppressor genes - are presumed to be involved in the genesis and progression of oral cancer. The molecular evidence relating to these genes is reviewed.

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