Objective. The aim of the present study is to describe the profile of the patients from the public health system in a Brazilian city diagnosed with oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Study design. For the cases diagnosed as oral or oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma between January2013 and March 2019, the following data were collected: sex, age, habits (smoking and alcoholism), duration, location of the lesion, and neighborhood of origin. Results. Two hundred and ninety patients were included, 76.5% male with a mean age 62.9 years. The majority of patients were smokers (56.3%) and 39.7% were alcohol users, although this information was not present for many patients. The most reported duration of the lesion was 1 to 3 months, and the mobile tongue was the most common anatomic location (30.9%), followed by oropharynx (21.9%) and floor of the mouth (13.4%). The most prevalent neighborhoods have a low rate of human development. Conclusion. The determination of the epidemiologic profile has great relevance in order to plan and carry out preventive and early diagnosis actions directed at the population and regions of higher risk, which may contribute to the improvement of morbidity and mortality rates of the disease. Objective. The aim of the present study is to describe the profile of the patients from the public health system in a Brazilian city diagnosed with oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Study design. For the cases diagnosed as oral or oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma between January2013 and March 2019, the following data were collected: sex, age, habits (smoking and alcoholism), duration, location of the lesion, and neighborhood of origin. Results. Two hundred and ninety patients were included, 76.5% male with a mean age 62.9 years. The majority of patients were smokers (56.3%) and 39.7% were alcohol users, although this information was not present for many patients. The most reported duration of the lesion was 1 to 3 months, and the mobile tongue was the most common anatomic location (30.9%), followed by oropharynx (21.9%) and floor of the mouth (13.4%). The most prevalent neighborhoods have a low rate of human development. Conclusion. The determination of the epidemiologic profile has great relevance in order to plan and carry out preventive and early diagnosis actions directed at the population and regions of higher risk, which may contribute to the improvement of morbidity and mortality rates of the disease.