Twenty-six benign oncocytic lesions of the salivary glands, excluding Warthin's tumours, have been reviewed and criteria for their classification as oncocytoma, multifocal nodular oncocytic hyperplasia, diffuse oncocytosis, pleomorphic adenoma with oncocytic change or oncocytic monomorphic adenoma have been proposed. The histological and clinical features of this heterogeneous group of lesions are discussed. This analysis suggests that the majority of lesions initially categorized as oncocytomas were, in fact, either non-neoplastic or, alternatively, oncocytic change in other types of adenoma.