Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge and awareness of the general population of Hail regarding oral cancer and assess their ability to identify the risk factors that may lead to oral cancer. Materials and methods: An observational study having cross-sectional design was carried out among Hail city population, Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted in November 2017. Data were gathered from 400 respondents, through survey questionnaire, with 95.5% response rate. Nonprobability, convenient sampling technique was used in this study. Saudi citizens above 15 years old were able to participate in this study. Results: Three hundred eighty-two (382) out of 400 (95.5%) responded to the questionnaire including 203 (53.1%) male and 179 (46.9%) female. One hundred eighty-two (182) (47.6%) of the participants were aware of the disease while the rest 200 (52.4%) of them were not. There was a significant difference between the age and the awareness of oral cancer (p <0.001) and between the level of education and the awareness of oral cancer (p <0.001). The respondents succeeded to identify smoking and alcohol as risk factors 328 (85.9%), 271 (70.9%), respectively. While only 47 (12.3%), 20 (5.2%), 139 (36.4%) participants said that old age, sunlight exposure, and diet are risks factors, respectively. Conclusion: The present study concluded that people lacked knowledge, and awareness regarding established risk factors of oral cancer. Health education related to primary prevention of oral cancer at the community and individual level needed to improve. Awareness of maintaining a healthy lifestyle which excludes the consumption of established risk factors of oral cancer was below par. Clinical significance: Improving oral cancer awareness of the population will lead to early detection of the lesion, and this eventually will help in primary prevention and better prognosis among those who have a lesion.