First, in allusion to the adsorption behavior of salivary protein, this paper introduced the multi-layer structure of salivary pellicle and analyzed the selective adsorption mechanism of salivary protein on the tooth surface. It was pointed out that the intraoral salivary proteins can be adsorbed on the tooth surface by electrostatic interaction to form the initial inner layer upon which the outer layer is formed by hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces among proteins. And then the main influencing factors of the adsorption and film-forming behavior of salivary proteins were illustrated, including protein type, adsorption time, substrate type and oral environment factors. On this basis, the boundary lubrication behavior of the salivary pellicle, as well as the influence of the salivary pellicle composition, the surface hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity and the oral environment on this boundary lubrication were introduced. Also, the macroscopic/microscopic testing methods of the lubrication performance of salivary pellicle were summarized. Finally, the shortcomings and future development trends of the adsorption behavior and lubrication behavior research of saliva proteins were discussed.