Ryan, the Schoofs article on oral sex risk discusses deepthroating as the real risk. any comments?

There is no scientific research available that demonstrates an increased risk through "deep throating" (oral sex that involves the penis going into part of the throat, as if it were being swallowed). There has been some guesswork out there based on laboratory research(this is what the Schoofs article refers to) that suggests a deepthroating partner may be at greater risk for infection than the non-deepthroating one because cells lining the membrane of the throat are more prone to infection the cells in the lining of the mouth. While this might be a persuasive argument, I have not seen any research studies that have demonstrated an increased risk through deepthroating. The research to date still demonstrates that, overall, the risk for transmission through fellatio is very low.

To reduce the already minimal risk, it is advisable that one minimizes the amount of fluids coming into contact with the mouth and throat when performing oral sex (not getting ejaculate in the mouth is probably more useful than avoiding deepthroating) and that one avoids fluid contact when there are problems with oral health. The Schoofs article highlights these points quite well.

RMK