Can you get HPV from kissing?

Kissing isn’t one of the ways the NHS says HPV spreads, and Cancer Research UK and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) don’t list it either.

Some research has found a link, though:

• A US study of young men aged 18 to 23 found that the more oral sex partners or open-mouthed kissing partners they’d had recently, the more likely they were to have HPV in their mouth.
• A 2014 study found oral HPV was more common in men whose partners also had it in their mouths. The researchers said this suggests it may pass from mouth to mouth, as well as from the genitals to the mouth.

These studies show a link, not proof. People who have more kissing partners may also have more oral sex partners, so it’s hard to separate the two. The fairest answer is that deep kissing may play a small part, but oral sex is the stronger link.

HPV is passed on through close skin-to-skin contact, usually during sex. The NHS says you can get it from:

• any skin-to-skin contact of the genital area
• vaginal, anal or oral sex
• sharing sex toys

You don’t need to have penetrative sex to catch HPV, and it can be passed on by someone with no symptoms, which is usually the case. Condoms help, but they don’t cover all the skin around the genitals, so they don’t fully protect you.

HPV is very common, and most people will get some type of it in their lives. Most infections don’t cause any problems and clear within 2 years. Read more in “7 ways you can catch an STI without having sex”

Some types of HPV can infect the lining of the mouth and throat. This is known as oral HPV.

It’s fairly common. A review of studies from around the world found oral HPV in 7.5% of people, about 1 in 13. HPV 16, the type most linked to cancer, was found in 1.6%.

Most oral HPV infections clear by themselves. In the studies reviewed, the typical time to clear ranged from 6.5 to 18 months.

Oral HPV rarely causes symptoms. HPV can cause warts in the mouth or throat, but the NHS says this is very rare.

In a small number of people, yes. HPV causes around half of oropharyngeal cancers in the UK. This is a type of throat cancer that affects the part of the throat just behind the mouth, and most cases linked to HPV are caused by HPV 16.

The risk comes from high-risk HPV that stays in the body for a long time, not from an infection that clears. Throat cancers linked to HPV also tend to have a better outlook than those that aren’t.

There’s no screening programme for mouth and throat cancer in the UK. See a doctor if you have a mouth ulcer, a sore throat or a lump in your neck that doesn’t go away.

No. There’s no approved test for HPV in the mouth or throat, and there’s no blood test for HPV. There’s also no test that shows someone’s overall HPV status.

HPV tests check a swab from the cervix, the vagina or a visible wart. Cervical screening, for example, checks a sample of cells from the cervix for high-risk types of HPV. Men can only be tested if there’s a visible wart or growth to swab.

The HPV vaccine helps protect against cancers caused by HPV and against genital warts. It works best before someone is exposed to HPV, which is why it’s offered at school age. In the UK:

• all children aged 12 to 13 are offered it
• if you were eligible at school but missed it, you can still have it up to your 25th birthday
• gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men can have it up to the age of 45

People under 25 usually need 1 dose, and people aged 25 to 45 usually need 2.

The vaccine may protect the mouth too. In a trial in Costa Rica, vaccinated young women had about 93% fewer oral HPV 16 and 18 infections 4 years later than those who didn’t get the HPV vaccine. Read more in “Does the HPV vaccine prevent oral HPV?”

Using condoms, or dental dams for oral sex on the vulva or anus, also lowers the risk, although they don’t cover all the skin.

A few other infections can pass on through kissing:

• Herpes. Cold sores are caused by the Herpes simplex virus, usually type 1 (HSV-1), and they spread easily by kissing. They’re contagious from the first tingle until they’ve completely healed. HSV-1 is now the most common cause of genital Herpes in the UK, as it can pass to the genitals during oral sex.
• Syphilis. You can catch Syphilis through contact with a Syphilis sore, including one inside the mouth.
• Gonorrhoea. A study of 3,677 men who have sex with men in Melbourne linked kissing with Gonorrhoea in the throat, even without sex. The NHS doesn’t list kissing as a way Gonorrhoea spreads, so this isn’t settled.

Read more in “How long after a cold sore can you give oral sex?”

There’s no test for HPV in the mouth, but Better2Know offers:

• Oral Screen home test: if you’ve had oral sex, or kissed someone with a cold sore or a sore in their mouth. It checks your throat and genitals for Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea, and tests your blood for Syphilis, Herpes 1 and Herpes 2, from 14 days after sex (28 days for Herpes), with results in 2 days.
• HPV home test: for women, a vaginal swab that checks for 14 high-risk types of HPV, with results in 3 days.
• HPV (Human Papillomavirus) and Genital Warts: if you have a wart or growth on your genitals, a swab can check it for HPV, at a clinic or with a home kit, with results in 3 days.

The Oral Screen includes a Syphilis test. A Syphilis test in the first 3 months after sex can miss the infection, so you may need a repeat test. Not sure which test you need? Our Patient Care Team is available 24/7 on 020 7099 0955.

If my partner has HPV, should I stop kissing them?

No. HPV passes easily between sexual partners, so if you’ve been having sex, you may already share it. Kissing isn’t a recognised way to catch HPV, and most infections clear by themselves.

Can you get HPV from oral sex?

Yes. The NHS lists oral sex as one of the ways HPV spreads, and studies link oral sex with HPV in the mouth more strongly than kissing. Read more in “I had unprotected oral sex. Should I get tested?”

Can you get genital warts from kissing?

No. Genital warts spread through skin-to-skin contact of the genital area and sex. HPV can cause warts in the mouth or throat, but this is very rare.

Kissing isn’t a recognised way to catch HPV. Even if deep kissing plays a small part, most HPV infections in the mouth clear by themselves. The HPV vaccine is the best protection, and condoms and dental dams lower the risk during oral sex. Kissing can pass on other infections, though, like Herpes and Syphilis.

If you’re worried after oral sex, or after kissing someone with a sore, order an Oral Screen home test from 14 days after sex. Our Patient Care Team is available 24/7 on 020 7099 0955.

Not in the UK? Choose your country from the selector at the top of the page for local tests and prices.

This article originally appeared on 29 March 2024 and was last updated on 30 September 2026.

Medical review. This article was medically reviewed by Dr Steve Chapman, Doctor with a wealth of clinical experience in the field of STIs, on 2 October 2025. It is general information and not a substitute for personal medical advice.

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