Dental Dams

[cyeo]

Hey guys!
I've just heard a lot of questions lately about dental dams and what they're about, so I thought I'd just share a little more information about them. Dental dams are fairly unadvertised, and so much of the population has no idea that they exist. And those who do know about them may not see them as necessary, because the mental connection with oral sex and getting an STI/STD is very low. People don't associate or don't know that STIs/STDs can indeed spread through oral sex. Below is an excerpt from WebMD's article "4 Things You Didn't Know About Oral Sex."

There's some information about dental dams below, but basically a dental dam is just a barrier covering the area (vagina, anus) being orally stimulated to prevent spreading any diseases. Dental dams should be able to be found in the same section where condoms are located.

What do you guys think?


3. Unprotected oral sex is common, but has risks.

Several sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, herpes, syphilis, gonorrhea, HPV, and viral hepatitis can be passed on through oral sex.

"Oral sex is not safe sex," says Terri Warren, RN, owner of Westover Heights Clinic in Portland, Ore., a private clinic specializing in STIs. "It's safer sex, but it's definitely not safe sex."

The risks depend on a lot of different things, including how many sexual partners you have, your gender, and what particular oral sex acts you engage in.

Using barrier protection can reduce the risk of getting an STI. A barrier can be a condom covering the penis, or a plastic or latex "dental dam" placed over the vulva or anus. Instead of a prepackaged dental dam, a condom cut open to make a sheet is also an acceptable barrier.

But most people don't use protection for oral sex. That's common wisdom, and it's also shown by large-scale surveys of sexually active teens and adults.

In 2004, the American Social Health Association surveyed 1,155 single adults about STIs and sexual behavior, and found that 91% never used any form of protection for oral sex.

That's probably because many people don't know that STIs can be spread orally. Or if they do, they don't see the health risks as being very serious, Warren says.

The risks of getting an STI from unprotected oral sex are typically much lower than the risks posed by having unprotected vaginal or anal sex, Warren says.

Warren's advice about using barrier protection for oral sex depends on whom she's talking to. Typically, performing oral sex on a male partner without a condom is riskier than other forms of oral sex, she says.

For example, Warren says she might stress the importance of condom use for a man having oral sex with multiple male partners.

"If a male is giving oral sex to a woman, I consider that to be a low-risk exposure," Warren says. But if a woman's regular partner has oral herpes, "that's a whole different discussion," she says.

[cyeo]

Hey, forgot to post the link to the full article.

Check it out for the full story about oral sex.

Oral Sex: Safety, Risks, Relationships, STD Transmission

[Victoria]

Dental dams should be able to be found in the same section where condoms are located.

Often they are available at adult bookstores, and some sites sell them online, too (just Google dental dam suppliers and you'll find some). You can even get different colors and flavors, just like with male condoms!