Green space dust retention refers to the dry deposition processes of airborne particulate matter on the surfaces of plants. Individual plant characteristics, green space structure, and the environment will all affect the dust retention. Model simulation, field monitoring, and wind tunnel testing are the primary methods of evaluating the dust retention capacity. Existing studies adopted the above approaches, which have evaluated dust retention based on the improvement of air quality or the total amount of dust accumulated in green space. However, the evaluation measures are relatively simple and the impact factors are complex, therefore, it is difficult to come to a general conclusion. It is essential to review dust retention evaluation studies to prevent misuse and deepen our understanding on the mechanism underlying it. This will provide a much better service for urban green space construction. After analyzing the theory and method of the green space dust retention in recent studies, this work found that dust retention research has mainly focused on assessing the capability of absorbing dust on a large scale. Although research methods have been constantly updated and combining different methods has become a trend, this area still lacks innovation, and it is difficult to make a significant breakthrough in research. In the future, studies should focus on small and medium-sized green spaces, the dust retention mechanism exploration, and method innovation.