Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas develop predominantly in individuals over 40 years of age and more frequently in males. The strongest risk factors for this disease are long-term abuse of tobacco products and alcohol. Recently, several reports of increasing incidence of head and neck cancer in atypical population groups of females or young adults have been published, often in patients with no history of smoking or alcohol abuse. It seems highly probable that at least in a part of these cases, human papillomavirus (HPV) played an important etiological role. Some of the HPV types were proved to cause certain anogenital carcinomas, particularly cervical carcinoma. It seems that in some cases these very HPV types are also involved in head and neck carcinogenesis. Published data on the prevalence of HPV infection in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas vary in different studies. However, it is generally understood that the infection is more commonly present in carcinomas of the oropharynx and palatine tonsils than in oral cavity carcinomas. The hypothesis of sexual transmission of oncogenic HPV types has yet to be confirmed. It is not clear whether current HPV vaccines could possibly decrease the incidence of head and neck squamous carcinomas.