Oral cancer poses a serious threat to human health and life, and its incidence is increasing year by year. The application of oral cancer animal models has an irreplaceable role in the diagnosis and treatment of clinical oral cancer. Therefore, it is very important to establish a disease animal model similar to the spontaneous occurrence of human oral cancer and study its pathogenic mechanism, prevention and treatment are very important. Currently, animal models of oral cancer mainly include spontaneous animal models, induced animal models and transgenic animal models. This article summarizes the latest progress in the research of oral cancer animal models, current problems and future development prospects.