Can I get HIV from kissing?
On the Cheek:HIV is not transmitted casually, so kissing on the cheek is very safe. Even if the other person has the virus, your unbroken skin is a good barrier. No one has become infected from such ordinary social contact as dry kisses, hugs, and handshakes.Open-Mouth Kissing:Open-mouth kissing is considered a very low-risk activity for the transmission of HIV. However, prolonged open-mouth kissing could damage the mouth or lips and allow HIV to pass from an infected person to a partner and then enter the body through cuts or sores in the mouth. Because of this possible risk, the CDC recommends against open-mouth kissing with an infected partner.One case suggests that a woman became infected with HIV from her sex partner through exposure to contaminated blood during open-mouth kissing.
There are four fluids that can carry and transmit HIV: blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. Saliva doesn’t transmit it. It is, however, THEORETICALLY possible to contract HIV through kissing. If both partners have cuts or sores in the mouth or bleeding gums (like after brushing or flossing your teeth), infected blood could possibly be exchanged. However, in practice this is EXTREMELY unlikely. There is something about saliva and the environment of the mouth that is inhospitable to the virus. Like all safe sex, kissing is a matter of managing risks. If you are aware of cuts or sores in your mouth, it is best to abstain from “deep kissing,” but in general kissing is one of the safest sexual activities.
Casual contact through closed-mouth or “social” kissing is not a risk for transmission of HIV. Because of the potential for contact with blood during “French” or open-mouth, wet kissing. However, the risk of acquiring HIV during open-mouth kissing is believed to be very low. CDC has investigated only one case of HIV infection that may be attributed to contact with blood during open-mouth kissing. In this case both partners had extensive dental problems including gingivitis (inflammation of the gums). It is likely that there was blood present in both partners’ mouths making direct blood to blood contact a possibility.
Casual contact through closed-mouth or “social” kissing is not a risk for transmission of HIV. Because of the potential for contact with blood during “French” or open-mouth, wet kissing, CDC recommends against engaging in this activity with a person known to be infected. However, the risk of acquiring HIV during open-mouth kissing is believed to be very low. CDC has investigated only one case of HIV infection that may be attributed to contact with blood during open-mouth kissing. In this case both partners had extensive dental problems including gingivitis (inflammation of the gums). It is likely that there was blood present in both partners’ mouths making direct blood to blood contact a possibility.
On the Cheek: HIV is not transmitted casually, so kissing on the cheek is very safe. Even if the other person has the virus, your unbroken skin is a good barrier. No one has become infected from such ordinary social contact as dry kisses, hugs, and handshakes. Open-Mouth Kissing: Deep or open-mouthed kissing is a very low risk activity in terms of HIV transmission. HIV is only present in saliva in very minute amounts, insufficient to cause infection with HIV. There has been only one documented case of someone becoming infected with HIV through kissing; a result of exposure to infected blood during open-mouthed kissing. If you or your partner has blood in your mouth, you should avoid kissing until the bleeding stops.
