New treatment approaches are needed to improve the effectiveness of oral cancer treatment, since surgical resection of the tumor in oral region causes various oral dysfunctions. The molecular biology of oral cancer has been progressively delineated. Concurrently, gene therapy techniques have been developed that allow targeting or replacement of dysfunctional genes in cancer cells, offering the potential to treat a wide range of cancer. Oral carcinoma is attractive target for gene therapy because of its accessibility. In this article, we review the current status of gene therapy as applied to oral carcinoma.