Facts and Statistics: Sexual Health and Canadian Youth
Oral Sex Practices
From a sexual health risk perspective, oral sex conveys no risk of unintended pregnancy and carries a lower risk of transmission of sexually transmitted infections compared to penis-vagina or penis-anal penetration.
However, oral sex is not risk-free and the oral sex practices of Canadian youth are increasingly scrutinized by adults, health professionals, and media (For discussion see McKay, 2004).
Relatively little credible research is available that provides data about the oral sex practices of Canadian youth. Paradoxically, while there is growing interest in the oral sex practices of youth, particularly of younger teens and preteens, it has often been deemed inappropriate for Canadian researchers to inquire about such things with young people.
However, two relatively large Canadian data sets are available that allow some inference about the prevalence of oral sex practices of 14-16 year-old Canadian teens, and whether or not this behaviour has increased in recent years.
The Canadian Youth, Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Study (Boyce et al., 2003) as well as an elicitation research survey conducted in 1992 in conjunction with the Skills for Healthy Relationships curriculum (Warren & King, 1994) asked Grade 9 and 11 students if they had ever participated in oral sex.
As indicated in the table below, between 1994 and 2002 there was a moderate increase in the percentages of students in each group reporting that they had ever engaged in oral sex.
In 2002, for each grade and gender category, students were somewhat more likely to report ever having oral sex than ever having sexual intercourse.
It should be noted that these data include students who may have had oral sex once as well as those who may have had oral sex on multiple occasions.
Percentage of Canadian Grade 9 and 11 Students Reporting Oral Sex At Least Once, 1994, 2002
| 1994 | 2002 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | |||
| Male | 27% | 32% | |
| Female | 21% | 28% | |
| Grade 11 | |||
| Male | 48% | 53% | |
| Female | 47% | 52% | |
Sources: Boyce et al. (2003). Canadian Youth, Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Study; Warren & King (1994). Development and Evaluation of an AIDS/STD/Sexuality Program for Grade 9 Students.
There are no large scale published studies assessing the prevalence of oral sex among younger Canadian teens. One study from the United States indicated that 18% of 12-15 year-olds had participated in oral sex at least once (Boekeloo & Howard, 2002).
There is a common perception that with respect to teen oral sex, it is likely that there is a gender discrepancy in which females are more likely to be giving (fellatio) rather than receiving (cunnilingus) oral sex from their male partners.
Neither of the two Canadian studies cited above distinguished between who was giving and who was receiving oral sex.
Although there are several well conducted, large scale studies from the United States that have included more precise measures of teen oral sex behaviour, the results have varied.
For example, consistent with prevailing assumptions about a gender discrepancy in teen oral sex practices, in a large sample study of 15-19 year-old males conducted in 1995, 49% reported that they had received oral sex whereas 39% said that they had given oral sex (Gates & Sonenstein, 2000).
In addition, in another large sample study conducted in 2002, among 15- to 19-year-old males, 38.8% reported giving oral sex to a female partner, and 51.5% reported receiving it (Mosher, Chandra, & Jones, 2005).
In the same study, females aged 15-19 also indicated that they were more likely to have ever received oral sex from a male partner (49.6%) than to have given it (43.6%).
