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One hundred patients (43 women and 57 men) with intraoral squamous cell carcinoma were questioned about their tobacco and drinking habits and then subjected to a thorough intraoral clinical examination. Twelve of the women did not use tobacco and did not have increased alcohol consumption. Only three of the men did not use tobacco, and 70% had daily consumption of alcohol. Where location of the carcinoma was concerned, the men had two and a half times as many carcinomas of the floor of mouth and inferior surface of tongue as the women. An astonishing finding was that 15% of the patients did not have subjective symptoms even if the tumour was more than 4 cm in diameter. On the basis of information obtained from the patients, 31% had been referred after a considerable delay. It is suggested that more information is required among physicians and dentists concerning the early diagnosis of intraoral malignancies.