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Background. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a type of covalently closed loop structure of endogenous RNAs. Recent studies have shown that circular RNAs may play an important role in human cancer. However, there is limited information on the function of circRNA in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods. Hsa_circ_001242 expression levels in 40 paired OSCC tissues and four OSCC cell lines were selected using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of hsa_circ_001242 in OSCC. Results. Hsa_circ_001242 was significantly downregulated in OSCC tissues compared to paired adjacent normal tissues (P<0.001). Hsa_circ_001242 expression levels were significantly downregulated in four OSCC cell lines (SCC-9, SCC-15, SCC25, and CAL-27) than in human normal oral keratinocyte (HOK) cell lines. Moreover, the expression level of hsa_circ_001242 was negatively correlated with tumor size and T stage (P<0.05). The area under the ROC curve was 0.784. Conclusion. This study showed that hsa_circ_001242 was significantly downregulated in OSCC and may act as a potential novel biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]