Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most common malignant tumors，and its incidence has been increasing year by year. Recently，more and more researches have revealed that the infection of high-risk human papilloma virus（HPV） is closely related with head and neck squamous carcinoma. HPV-related head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is an independent subgroup，with the characteristics of early lymph node metastasis and the advanced tumor stage，but chemoradiotherapy sensitivity and relatively good prognosis. There are several methods for HPV detection in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma，each with its advantages and disadvantages，however，most of them are not widely used in clinical practice. Therefore，this article reviews recent researches upon the detection methods of HPV in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and the significance in clinical practice，which aims to raise the knowledge of HPV detection，and promote the clinical application in the treatment strategy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.