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 The
Other Oral Hygiene
Oral
sex is not often talked about thus have led many to believe that
it poses less risks of transmitting HIV than intercourse. HealthAnswers
gives us the low down
on safer oral sex.
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By
Vincent Leong
[eastciti.com, January 20, 2001]
Although
oral sex, by itself, is considered less likely to transmit viruses
that cause sexually-transmitted diseases, as compared to direct
sexual intercourse, many health-care experts still consider it a
high-risk activity for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) transmission.
How
HIV Is Most Commonly Transmitted
- Through
semen, vaginal fluids or blood during unprotected sexual intercourse
with an infected person.
- Sharing
needles and syringes from intravenous drug use with an infected
person.
- From
infected mother to baby during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.
According
to Professor Wong Mee Lian, a researcher at the Department of Community,
Occupational and Family Medicine, National
University of Singapore (NUS), for example, some studies on
homosexuals have put their increased risk of HIV-transmission from
receiving oral penile intercourse (receiving fellatio) at 1.05 to
3.0 times from those who have not received penile intercourse orally.
Safer
Oral Sex
The
possibility of transmitting HIV during oral sex is believed to be
lower than through unprotected vaginal or anal intercourse. However,
it is still possible to get HIV through oral sex.
To
be better protected, you may want to use:
- Condoms
when having oral sex with a man.
- Cling-wrap
for oral sex with a woman.
This
is because if one of the parties involved in oral sex is HIV-infected,
the virus from this person can be transmitted to the other person
via the semen or blood - either in the mouth or the sexual organ.
HIV
can enter the uninfected person through open wounds, sores, or even
openings at the genitalia - the urethra (the opening at the tip
of the penis), the vagina, or the anus.
The
following may increase the risk of HIV transmission during oral sex:
- Sores,
cuts, abrasions, gum disease and blood in the mouth can allow
HIV to more easily enter the body.
-
Similarly, the presence of white blood cells at the site of STD
infections may provide an easy entry point for HIV.
- Deep
insertion of the penis into the throat for a long period of time
may cause tears in the throat's lining, making it easier for HIV
to enter the body.
Prof
Wong, who recently headed a programme on promoting the use of condoms
for oral sex among female sex workers in Singapore, said the risk
of unprotected oral sex in transmitting viral and bacterial sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs) is more pronounced, and STDs have been
recognised to be an important co-factor for HIV infection.
For
example, her report states that a recent study has revealed that
unprotected oral sex is 3.66 times more likely to transmit papillomavirus
- the virus responsible for most STDs, including genital warts.
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