The incidence of oral squamous cell carcinoma remains high in India due to the social and cultural habit of tobacco, it accounts for about 5%of total cancer of the body. Despite evolution in management,the overall survival of patients has not been improved significantly during the past 20 years. Several clinicopathological parameters have been implicated in the prognosis, recurrence and survival, following oral cancer. This retrospective study aims at the study of clinicopathological parameters including regional lymph nodes and distant metastasis and its correlation with recurrence and death rates in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. In this retrospective study data collected from the registry of cancer ward, Victoria hospital and Government dental college, Bangalore from 2007-2014(8 years) in total, 283 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma were included. The clinical staging and histopathological reports were analysed and chest X ray, MRI was used to assess the distant metastasis and these findings were correlated with recurrence and death rates of the patients.Statistical analysis was carried out using chi square test. Among 283 patients 159 were males (56.2%) and 124 were females (43.8%). Most of the identified squamous cell carcinomas were T4 (42%) and N2 (40.6%). Recurrence was identified in 40 patients, 85(30%) had regional nodal metastasis and 9 had distant metastasis, and 40 patients died out of 283.Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity has a poor overall prognosis with a high tendency to recur at the primary site and extend to involve the cervical lymph nodes.