Abstract: Abstract：　Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most usual oral epithelial malignant tumors.Its etiology is commonly concerned as interactions of genetic, environmental, infection and other multi-factors.Human papillomavirus has been identified as one of the risk factors for the occurrence of OSCC, while some other scholars believe that Epstein-Barr virus, herpes simplex virus type I, human cytomegalovirus,human herpes virus-6,hepatitis C virus and other viruses can also cause oral cancer, but these views are still controversial. This article reviews the literature in recent years to reveal the etiological role of viral infections in OSCC and provide ideas for future research.

Key words: OSCC, Virus infection, Etiology