The present review outlines the current information available about biobanks including: summarizing the main ethical issues encountered when integrating patient samples in research projects; emphasizing the importance of biobanks as the basis for any personalized medicine therapies in cancer with a particular focus for oral cancer, through the use of biomarkers; and providing examples of biobanks that use anonymous sample collection and labelling methodologies to help alleviate the problems of privacy, informed consent, data security as well as public trust.