Animal model is an indispensable part of studying the pathogenesis and treatment of diseases. Review of the ethics and welfare is the necessary measure to ensure the quality of scientific research and promote the scientific and rational use of experimental animals. In the review practice, it is found that most applicants are difficult to accurately understand the items listed in the application form and ethical principles related to items. Therefore, a practical and feasible set of ethical guidelines for animal experiments is necessary. This review focuses on the legal and ethical basis of developing oral disease animal models, and divides the methods of establishing oral disease animal models into physical methods, chemical methods, biological methods, and combined methods, and details the key points of ethical and welfare review and model evaluation methods. Hopefully, ethical censors and project applicants may get more understanding of ethical review for disease animal models, and ultimately improve the standardization and applicability of laboratory animal models.