Men who perform oral sex on women may want to avail themselves of the latest findings about human papillomavirus HPV. A new study published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine reveals that the mouths of many men are infected with HPV, often contracted through cunnilingus. To determine just how common HPV is among men, a team of researchers from the University of Florida looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey on adults aged 18 to
Diagram of the oral cavity and oropharynx. The oral cavity includes the lips, the labial and buccal mucosa, the front two-thirds of the tongue, the retromolar pad, the floor of the mouth, the gingiva, and the hard palate. The oropharynx includes the palatine and lingual tonsils, the back one-third base of the tongue, the soft palate, and the posterior pharyngeal wall. Human papillomavirus HPV can cause serious health problems, including warts and cancer. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Of the more than types of HPV, about 40 types can spread through direct sexual contact to genital areas, as well as the mouth and throat. Oral HPV is transmitted to the mouth by oral sex, or possibly in other ways.
What Are the Symptoms of Oropharyngeal Cancer?
A new study claims to provide further evidence that oral human papillomavirus infections can be transmitted via oral-to-oral and oral-to-genital routes. Human papillomavirus HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the US, newly infecting 14 million Americans every year. It is estimated that each year, around 8, people are diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancers that may be caused by oral HPV infection. But how people contract oral HPV is a subject that has been widely debated in medical research.
In the last few years, actress Angelina Jolie went public with her double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer. Governor Chris Christie told us his reasons for gastric bypass surgery. And actor Michael Douglas is shining the spotlight on the human papilloma virus HPV —the number one cause of mouth and throat cancer. There are about different strains of HPV. Some cause common warts when they invade the skin. Others are the cause of sexually transmitted diseases. When it does become active, it tends to invade mucous membranes, such as those covering the lining of the vagina, cervix, anus, mouth, tongue, and throat. An HPV infection can cause warts in and around these tissues. Most people sexually exposed to HPV never develop symptoms or health problems, and most HPV infections go away by themselves within two years.