Silver compounds and silver nanomaterials have shown excellent antimicrobial effects on microorganisms and have been used commonly in the clinic in recent years for the prevention and treatment of a variety of oral diseases, such as caries, gingivitis, pulpitis, dentin hypersensitivity and oral cancer. Since conventional silver and silver compounds lead to tooth staining, studies have indicated that silver nanoparticles can alleviate this problem and exhibit outstanding antimicrobial effects. Nowadays, nanomedicines have become a research topic as an emerging potential anticancer therapeutic drug. These nanomedicine carriers are characterized by intelligent response to the tumor microenvironment, which can deliver the drugs precisely to the tumor site and improve the therapeutic effect. Nanomedicine can also decrease the distribution of drugs in normal tissues, reduce side effects, and improve patient tolerance to treatment. The application of environmentally responsive nanomedicine in the treatment of oral squamous carcinoma demonstrates great potential and may become a novel strategy for the treatment of cancer. Consequently, the article provides a comprehensive overview of the advances in the application of silver materials in the prevention and treatment of oral diseases, as well as describes the possibility of nano-targeted therapy as an innovative strategy for the treatment of oral squamous carcinoma, which provides a new way of thought in tumor therapy and brings new expectation for enhancing the effectiveness of cancer treatment.