Objective To investigate the current status of oral health behaviors in the elderly population and analyze the influencing factors. Methods A total of 550 permanent residents aged≥60 years in Hainan Province were selected as study subjects using multi-stage stratified cluster sampling. The qualified rate of oral health behaviors was calculated. SPSS 19.0 was used for statistical analysis. Data comparison between groups was performed using t test or χ² test, depending on data type. Binary logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors affecting oral health behaviors in the elderly population. Results Of the 550 questionnaires distributed, 521 (94.73%) were collected. The survey found that the best oral health behavior of the elderly population was brushing teeth in the morning and evening (62.38%, 325/521) and the worst was cleaning teeth at least once a year (9.60%, 50/521) with a qualified rate of oral health behaviors of 26.49% (138/521). Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that living in urban areas (OR=0.685, 95%CI 0.558-0.842), monthly household income>5000 yuan (OR=0.772, 95%CI 0.707-0.843), and frequent social contact (OR=0.641,95%CI 0.474-0.867) were protective factors for qualified oral health behaviors in the elderly population, while dental fear (OR=1.917, 95%CI 1.324-2.777) and poor self-care ability (OR=2.908, 95%CI 1.263-3.486) were risk factors (P＜0.05). Conclusion The qualified rate of oral health behaviors in the elderly population is at a poor level. Living in urban area, monthly household income>5000 yuan, and frequent social contact are protective factors of qualified oral health behaviors, while the dental fear and poor self-care ability are risk factors in the elderly population.