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.

For more information refer to the July 11, 1997, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report “Transmission of HIV Possibly Associated with Exposure of Mucous Membrane to Contaminated Blood” located at ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Publications/mmwr/wk/mm4627.pdf.

LEGEND: = Link is outside of the DHAP domain...click the BACK button to return to this page.