[Question #8776] Oral Hpv

40 months ago

Hello doctors.

Sorry that I’m asking about Hpv again.

I have a query regarding possibility of Hpv transmission through deep French kissing. I had a relationship with a girl who’s had oral sex with 5 partners before me. One of them was 30. So I assume he was very likely to have had Hpv from previous partners.

Did me kissing that girl put me at meaningful risk of oral Hpv? I got my vaccine after we were together for 4 days on a trip. So there was a lot of French kissing involved.

I’ve read you in many of the posts that you’ve said there is no std risk from kissing but when I Google, kissing is mentioned as one of the ways of transferring the virus.

Can you tell me how likely is it to get the virus through deep French kissing?

Thanks in advance

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

40 months ago

We have already discussed this. HPV his rarely if ever transmitted by kissing, "French" or otherwise. Could the virus conceivably been so transmitted? Yes. Does it happen with measurable frequency? No. Does it matter? No: oral HPV is fairly common, but the vast majority of infected persons do not get cancer as a result.

From my last reply in your most recent prior thread:

"...this being your second question on these topics, it must be your last. Repeated anxiety driven questions with predictable answers are not permitted and future ones will be deleted without reply and without refund of the posting fee. ASHA is not keen on getting paid for information whose answers already have been given; repeated answers often prolong anxiety rather than helping relieve it; and such questions have limited educational value for other readers, one of the forum's main goals. Thank you for your understanding."

That concludes this thread. Goodbye and good luck.

HHH, MD

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