A dental dam is a thin sheet of latex you can get at a clinic or in some drugstores that can be used for oral sex on a vagina or anus. Sexual partners can also cut a condom length-wise to create a sheet of latex to use as a barrier between the person's mouth and the vulva so that is works like a dental dam.

During oral sex, both people are at risk for STDs, although there is less chance of getting or giving STDs during oral sex than during vaginal or anal sex.

The STDs that can be passed during oral sex are chlamydia, gonorrhea, HPV, herpes, hepatitis B and syphilis. There is also a small risk for getting and giving HIV through oral sex.