Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical and demographic characteristics of oral non-odontogenic cysts (ONOC) in a Brazilian population over a 53-year period and to compare this data with the literature. Study Design: A total of 20.391 biopsies records were evaluated, from April/1959 to August/2012. Cases of oral developmental cysts were selected. Data regarding age, gender, time of evolution, and anatomic site of all cases were collected. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. Results: Among 20.391 oral biopsies, 71 (0.35%) met the criteria of ONOC. Females accounted for 50.70% of all cases. The mean age observed was 38.14 years (range: 5-88 years). Nasopalatine duct cysts, oral lymphoepithelial cysts and epidermoid cysts were the most common ONOC, accounting for 63 cases (88.73%). Nasopalatine duct cysts occurred in 31 cases (43.66%), followed by 22 patients with oral lymphoepithelial cysts (30.99%) and 10 cases of epidermoid cysts (14.08%). Nasopalatine duct cysts revealed predominance among males (58.06). Oral lymphoepithelial cysts were more commonly observed in tongue (50%). Epidermoid cysts were most frequently found in the buccal mucosa (40.00%). Conclusions: The differential diagnosis of ONOC is based on the clinical, radiological, and histological findings. It is difficult to establish an epidemiological profile of ONOCs, considering the low frequency of these lesions and the divergences in the demographic and clinical presentation data among different populations. Key words:Diagnosis, epidemiology, jaw cysts, mouth.