How can I make sucking (oral sex on a man) safer?
Homecurve border


Home / Information / Safer Sex


AIDS Committee of Toronto 


How can I make sucking (oral sex on a man) safer?


Sucking a man's cock (penis) without a condom is low risk for getting HIV (the virus that can lead to AIDS). However, low risk does not mean no risk.

To reduce the risk you can:
  • avoid flossing or brushing your teeth for at least 30 minutes before, and right after sucking so that there are no open cuts in the mouth; (If you smoke you may wish to wait two hours - not everyone's mouth heals at the same rate and several factors can affect how fast your mouth heals after a cut. Scientists have found a smoker's mouth takes longer to heal.)
  • stop sucking before he ejaculates (cums);
  • suck and lick only the shaft and balls, avoiding the head of his cock.

If you want to eliminate the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), use a latex condom.

The person who is being sucked is at no real risk of HIV infection, but could get other STIs.

If you suck without a condom, get your throat swabbed during your regular STI check-up every six months.

For more information, e-mail ACT's Gay Men’s Community Education Coordinator or check out our new Safer Oral sex brochure (below) for tips on how to keep yourself and your partner healthy, happy, and horny:


ACT_SaferOralSex_Brochure.pdf572 (Kbytes)


You will need Adobe's free Acrobat Reader® to view the PDF file. This software is available to you as a free download from Adobe's web site.

curve_bottom