By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use. At first, I thought it was about literal salad โ Food sex maybe? Or a kinky way of using dressing? But I was wrong, thank God.
Anilingus or "rimming" is an Olympic sport in my book. We all want to win gold, but sadly many of us never even place. That's where fecal matter lives. Who wants to put their mouth near that cave? A lot of us. The fascination with it has been around just as long, and it's gone mainstream in recent years. It's incredibly intimate and it feels great to the receiver. But as more people partake, the question remains โ just how safe is it?
Sexually transmitted infections that are spread from skin to skin contact, like Syphilis, can be contracted by rimming, not because of a butthole itself, but because the bacteria surrounding genital areas tends to move around. Chlamydia of the throat is not spread orally, to my knowledge. While there is no data suggesting that people can catch HIV from rimming, NAM's AIDSMap did report that levels of HIV in rectal mucosal secretions in gay men were higher than those in blood or semen โ by about percent more than blood, and percent more than semen.
You can also use a dental dam as a barrier between your mouth and the anus. Still, rimming isn't considered a high risk activity when it comes to HIV. According to AIDS. It is difficult to measure the exact risk because people who have oral sex may also have anal or vaginal sex during the same encounter.
To reduce risks of transmission of STIs, always keep an eye out for cuts or abrasions on the tongue, lips, gums, or rectum โ as these cuts can become entry points for infection.
