It is definitely the main cause of nasopharyngeal cancers, not far removed from the oral cavity. It's links to mucosal cancers of the mouth is not firmly establish, but not unmentioned as a possibility in the literature since we know it can be oncogenic in certain people. It is also associated with other forms of cancer, such as Hodgkin's lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and central nervous system lymphomas associated with HIV exposure. When not a direct cause it can be a precursor to the development of these cancers.

Most people exposed to it through salivary contact develop immune system antibodies to it and it causes no further issues. It is wildly common (more than HPV) and about 90% of all tested adults show previous exposure to it, through the presence of antibodies produced by their immune systems. It causes about half of all the infectious mononucleosis cases that teenagers get. For all that we do now about it, much like HPV16, EBV is a relatively complex virus, and is not yet fully understood.