Q: Can I get HIV from kissing on the cheek, or open-mouth or deep kissing ("swapping saliva")?

A: HIV is not casually transmitted, so kissing on the cheek is very safe. Even if the other person has the virus, your unbroken skin is a good barrier. No one has become infected from such ordinary social contact as dry kisses, hugs, and handshakes. Open-mouth kissing is considered a very low-risk activity for the transmission of HIV because the amount of HIV in saliva is very small and relatively inactive. However, prolonged open-mouth kissing could damage the mouth or lips and allow HIV to pass from an infected person to a partner and then enter the body through cuts or sores in the mouth. Because of this possible risk, the CDC recommends against open-mouth kissing with an infected partner.