ABSTRACT
This study, conducted through a literature review, aimed to elaborate on oral cancer, smoking and coping with these two diseases by public health policies in force in Brazil. According to the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), oral cancer is among the most frequent diseases in the country, and if detected at early stages, has a high rate of survival when compared to other types of disease. INCA estimates show that there is a tendency for disease progression, nearly doubling the number of cases from 2005 to 2020, which constitutes a challenge not only to advances in science and technology but to the continuity of higher incidence in countries of lower socioeconomic level, reinforcing the need to work on social determinants. According to the literature reviewed, smoking, among the risk factors for oral cancer, is one of the most potent carcinogens known, with the aggravating factor that the patient voluntarily introduces the carcinogen into their body. The correlation between these two chronic diseases justifies the concern of public health and the dental profession both to deter the progression of these previously established diseases and to reduce the incidence of cases.