Background: The present study was undertaken for assessing the salivary copper and zinc levels in oral cancer patients. Materials & methods: 25 oral cancer patients and 25 healthy controls were enrolled. All the patients were recalled in the morning and salivary samples were obtained. All the samples were sent to laboratory where auto-analyser was used for evaluation of salivary copper and zinc levels. All the results were recorded and analysed by SPSS software. Results: Mean salivary copper levels among the patients of the oral cancer group and control group was 11.38 ppb and 68.42 ppb respectively. Mean salivary zinc levels among the patients of the oral cancer group and control group was 132.12 ppb and 161.18 ppb respectively. Conclusion: Copper and zinc play a definitive role in the pathogenesis of head and neck malignancies. Key words: Oral cancer, Salivary, Copper, Zinc