Among the more dangerous myths floating around these days is that oral sex is a disease-free alternative to intercourse. The fact is, not only can oral-genital contact lead to a sexually transmitted disease (STD), it can – depending on the disease – be harder to spot and more difficult to treat. Your dentist may recognize oral symptoms of an STD and instruct you to see a physician for diagnosis, according to a study published in the May/June 2002 issue of General Dentistry, the clinical, peer-reviewed journal of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), an organization of general dentists dedicated to continuing education.

An oral STD is harder to treat. "Most STDs require a moist environment to survive," Dr. Williams explained. Treatment for an oral component to an STD usually includes an oral antibiotic.

To reduce the chances of contracting an oral STD, Dr. Williams encourages individuals to practice safer sex by using a condom or a latex barrier.

According to the study's author, Larry N. Williams, DDS, MAGD, 60 percent of surveyed college students do not equate oral-genital contact with sex. And more than 55 percent of teenagers admitted to engaging in oral sexual acts.

Ninety percent of those who contract the oral component of an STD ? such as gonorrhea ? may not show outward signs of being sick. The remaining 10 percent exhibit symptoms such as gum swelling and discharge and some bleeding.

Dr. Williams says patients may also experience flu-like symptoms. He added that while it is possible for an oral STD to be asymptomatic in the mouth, there may well be a genital component that does show symptoms. Additionally, studies have shown that 25 percent of those with genital gonorrhea may have an oral component. Gonorrhea was pegged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the second most common STD in 2005, with an estimated 340,000 cases reported every year. Patients with gonorrhea are typically in their 20s, often live in urban areas and are more often black than white.