Abstract: Objective: To investigate the level and influencing factors of health related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with oral cancer. Methods: Totally 85 patients who had had oral cancer surgery between May 2011 and January 2013 in the Department of Stomatology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were eligible. HRQoL of patients was assessed by means of the 14-item oraI health impact profile (OHIP-14) and University of Washington Quality of Life (UW-QOL) questionnaires 12 months after operation. Results:76 questionnaires were collected (89.4%). UW-QOL: The highest-scoring domains were pain (77.3±6.3), anxiety (76.4±7.8) and activity (74.3±8.2), the lowest scoring domains were chewing (34.5±8.3), followed by saliva (46.4±4.8) and taste (49.9±3.9). OHIP-14: the best scoring domains were handicap (38.5±7.4), physical pain (46.8±10.2) and psychological disability (50.9±5.8), the worst-scoring domains were functional limitation (62.4±12.3), psychological discomfort (57.8±9.2) and physical pain (55.8±12.8). Conclusion:Oral cancer surgery could significantly influence the patients’ HRQoL. In order to improve the HRQoL of patients with oral cancer, nurses should make efforts to do well in nursing and strengthen nutritional support, psychological guidance and social support.