Abstract: The application of point-of-care testing (PoCT) methods meets the demand for fast, accurate, and simple detection in food, quarantine, clinical and other aspects. Carbon dots (CDs) as a novel nanomaterial, has been widely applied in various PoCT methods due to easy preparation, small particle size, good biocompatibility and low toxicity. Therefore, the preparation and characterization methods of CDs were introduced, and the applications of CDs in PoCT methods were reviewed from the perspectives of food safety, quarantine, and clinical testing. The development of PoCT methods based on CDs was prospected (95 ref. cited).