Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the common forms of eczema in children, manifesting with chronic, relapsingattacks of skin eruptions with severe pruritus. Unfortunately, there is no consensus on the definition of AD ordiagnostic criteria for AD. Therefore, various diagnostic criteria for AD have been proposed so far, which can bedivided into a hospital- or community-setting. This paper reviews representative diagnostic criteria for AD among theproposed criteria. Hanfiin and Rajka?s criteria is regarded as a ‘gold standard? for AD diagnosis in a hospital-setting. AD diagnosis is made by combining the positive findings from skin symptoms, past history, and laboratory results. For epidemiological surveys in a community-setting, the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood(ISAAC), is commonly used worldwide as a questionnaire-based diagnostic criterion. For a community-setting,however, new diagnostic criteria with a good sensitivity and specificity need to be developed for epidemiologicalresearch as well as clinical consultations with patients.