am i worrying needlessly?

[sportyone]

I am wondering if I am worrying needlessly. I kissed someone yesterday forgetting I had a canker sore on my lower lip. The canker sore seems more sensitive today. Did kissing him put me at risk for contracting HIV? The kiss, actually maybe 3 kisses, was very brief and and not too deep. I know normally kissing does not present a risk for HIV but does the canker sore change anything? What if there was blood in his mouth? Do I need to consider PEP or getting tested for this exposure? I try to protect myself, I only receive oral, perform oral-anal, and sometime finger a guy-are those all considered safe in regards to HIV? Thanks for your help.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

You are not at risk from any of the sorts of exposures you mention, even if your partner did have HIV (you do not say he was) .  For starters, kissing is no risk at all, even deep kissing and even with cuts in their mouths, gum or dental disease. As for oral sex, the quoted figure for HIV risk, if one has oral sex with an infected partner is less than 1 in 10,000 and, in my estimation that is too high. Some experts state there is no risk at all from oral sex.  Neither of us on this site have ever seen or reading the medical literature of a convincing instance in which HIV was passed by oral sex.  This includes by all of the people who had gum disease, etc.  Finally, there is no risk at all for masturbation which is what we're talking about when you discuss "fingering".

Don't even consider PEP.  In your situation the risk of side effects from the PEP is many, many times higher than your risk of HIV (which is close to, if not, zero).  EWH

[Edward W Hook, MD]

To rony 212, you are not allowed to asked questins on threads initiated by others.  Stop trying.  If you have a question, you much start your own thread.  If it is reasonable and/or has potential benefit for other visitors to this site, it will be answered.  If it does not, it will be delted without comment.

To sportyone.  
You are asking me to repeat myself.  I won't do that.  I answered your questions above, then supplied an explanation when you asked for explanation.  These are NO RISK exposures.  End of story.  EWH

[sportyone]

Thanks again, I am more concerned about the canker sore than i am receiving oral. Because of the components and enzymes is it difficult for virus to survive in mouth or is it impossible for it to survive there? He said he was last tested in october and all was fine. I would have had to have been bleeding and he would have had to be bleeding and it would have had to come in direct contact-is that correct? Also, I read there has NEVER been a CONFIRMED case from receiving oral, mouth to anal or from fingering another person-would you say that is accurate? Thanks

[Edward W Hook, MD]

1.  The mouth is a hostile environment for HIV.  There are enzymes and other components of saliva which make it a difficult place for HIV to survive.
2.  You partner said he was negative.  Indeed most people whether they know it or not, are not infected.  You now choose to worry that he did not know his status or lied. His answer suggests to me that at some time in the past he was tested- how recently is always a problem but in general his statement is somewhat reassuring.
3.  HIV transmission during oral sex is very inefficient.  Studies suggest that the risk of getting HIV from oral sex, if your partner was infected, are less than 1 in 10,000.  That makes this pretty unlikely.

End of story.  No risk.  EWH

[sportyone]

Thanks for your response. The person I kissed said he was negative and the kiss(es) last for seconds with barely even tongue-to-tongue, but I read on the CDC website it said it was possible if there were open sores and the other person was bleeding. I would not even worry at all if I didn't have the canker sore-I just wondered how much that increased the risk. Why does kissing pose no risk as you say even with cuts or in this case a canker sore, would that not be an avenue to transmit? Thanks

[Edward W Hook, MD]

You are not at risk from any of the sorts of exposures you mention, even if your partner did have HIV (you do not say if he did or did not).  For starters, kissing is no risk at all, even deep kissing and even with cuts in their mouths, gum or dental disease. As for oral sex, the quoted figure for HIV risk, if one has oral sex with an infected partner is less than 1 in 10,000 and, in my estimation that is too high. Some experts state there is no risk at all from oral sex.  Neither of us on this site have ever seen or reading the medical literature of a convincing instance in which HIV was passed by oral sex.  This includes by all of the people who had gum disease, etc.  Finally, there is no risk at all for masturbation which is what we're talking about when you discuss "fingering".

Don't even consider PEP.  In your situation the risk of side effects from the PEP is many, many times higher than your risk of HIV (which is close to zero).  EWH