Objective: To describe dental caries and oral health behavior among 6-year-old children and to assess the relative effect of socio-behavioral risk factors on toothbrushing behavior, dental visiting behavior and caries prevalence. Methods: Dental caries among 1,356 6-year-old children in Yichang City was recorded, using WHO criteria, and highly structured questionnaires were used to collect data on oral health care from the mothers of the children. Results: Caries prevalence was 72.9% and the mean dmft was 3.7 in the 6-year-olds. About 40% of the children brushed their teeth twice a day or more often and 57.6% once a day. Nearly half of the children had seen a dentist during the last year while 34.2% had never visited a dentist. The results of logistic regression analysis indicated that the children’s brushing behavior was mainly affected by their mothers’ brushing behavior; the children’s dental visiting behavior was mainly affected by their mothers’ dental visiting behavior; caries prevalence was related to the frequency of snacks eaten between meals, the consumption of sugary foods, and the use or non-use of fluoride toothpaste. Conclusion: This study has shown that there is an urgent need for the implementation of a systematic oral health promotion program for children in China.