By Justine Griffin

Dentists may soon be prying deeper in their patients’ sex lives.

The human papillomavirus, or HPV, is now the most common sexually transmitted disease, and one local researcher is urging dentists to get on board to warn patients about it.

But talking about HPV — and how it can be spread through oral sex — can be awkward.

“This is an emerging topic for dentists and not really one they ever expected to have to talk about,” said Ellen Daley, the lead investigator of a recent study on this topic published in the Journal of the American Dental Association this month. “It’s controversial and uncomfortable. No one wants to talk about these sensitive topics.”

HPV is the cause of 72 percent of oropharyngeal cancers, which can impact the base of the tongue, tonsils and walls of the pharynx, said Daley, who is also a professor studying women’s health at the University of South Florida.

Younger patients, usually pre-teens and teens, are the most at risk for HPV. But the virus can also be dormant for years, which could impact older patients who won’t necessarily experience symptoms for many years.

It’s transmitted during vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who has the virus.

Nearly 80 million people — or about one in four — are currently infected with HPV in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 14 million people become infected each year, and 30,700 of those cases cause cancer in men and women.

The HPV vaccine can prevent most of those cancers, or 28,000 of them. An estimated 50,000 cases of oral type cancers will be diagnosed this year, according to the American Cancer Society.

The Florida Legislature is currently considering companion bills in the House and Senate that could add the HPV vaccine to the child immunization requirements for school.

Read more here.