A new study by the Advancement of Science American Association shows how oral sex increases the risk of cancer in men, especially head and neck cancers, through human papillomavirus, Science World Report reports.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that this health issue affects 90 percent sexually active men and 80 percent sexually active women.
Gypsyamber D'Souza, who teaches epidemiology at John Hopkins University said that white men who had a high number of sexual partners were at a higher risk of HPV head and neck driven cancers, as compared to women with a high number of sexual partners.
He stated that the risk of HPV infection increases with an increase in the number of oral sex partners that men have.
D'Souza also said that nearly two of three of these oral cancers in the U.S. and in many other western nations are caused by HPV 16 strain infection.
"Our research shows that for men, the number of oral sex partners - as that number increases, the risk of an oral HPV infection increases," D'Souza said, via The Daily Mail.
"Comparing men and women with the same number of sexual partners, a man is much more likely to become infected with oral HPV than a woman."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HPV can cause genital warts and certain cancers. However, in most cases HPV resolves on its own before causing any health problems.
The study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
