Background: Salivary gland tumors are uncommon and histologically heterogeneous and prognostic markers are difficult to find in these carcinomas of which the different subtypes have varying malignant potential. The study was conducted to detect the immunohistochemical expression of MCM3 in benign salivary gland tumors compared to the malignant ones, and to correlate its expression with the histological features of these neoplasms. Materials and methods: Fourty two paraffin blocks of salivary gland neoplasms (, 9 benign and 33 malignant), in addition to five specimens of normal minor salivary glands that served as a control, were immunohistochemically stained with MCM3 antibody. ANOVA and Tukey's tests were used for the statistical analysis, to compare between the control and the different types of benign and malignant salivary gland neoplasms. Results: All cases of salivary gland neoplasms express MCM3 with variable cellular localization. There was a correlation between increase in the grade of the tumor and MCM3 expression in each specimen.Conclusions: salivary gland neoplasms express MCM3 with variable levels and cellular localization, consisting an important proliferation marker of these tumors. Further studies with large sample size is recommended to evaluate the potential use of MCM3 as a prognostic factor for the survival of patients with oral and salivary gland cancers.