The Department of Health at San Fransisco would not want to downplay the dangers of bbbj's, and yet a researcher seems to say the risk is minimal, even among homosexuals. Consider the quote from this web page:

"Receptive oral sex or "giving a blow job" is considered more risky because of the potential that more HIV-infected fluid will enter the body. When someone is giving a blow job, not only is there the potential exposure to semen and precome, there is also the potential exposure to blood from a penile cut, sore, or abrasion, or even from an irritated piercing.

Furthermore, if the man receiving the blow job has another infection in addition to HIV, he may have an unusually high level of HIV present in his body fluids. This is because his immune system may not be as efficient at controlling, HIV since it is also trying to contain the other virus or bacteria. An added problem is that if the additional infection is localized in the penis, then there will probably be urethra inflammation. If so, his penile fluids may contain high levels of 'infection-fighting" white blood cells, which unfortunately also contain HIV. All this could amount to increased infectiousness.

Getting a blow job is considered a very low risk sexual activity. In general, if someone is getting a blow job and has no cuts, scratches or sores on his penis, the possibility of his being exposed to HIV is lower. If the man giving the blow job has good oral hygiene and his mouth is free of infection, then the inserter's penis is primarily being exposed only to saliva. Getting a blow job might also be safer than giving one because ejaculating might flush out the virus. Urinating and washing the penis also reduce the chances of HIV infection and of additional infection. "

There's an old saying... "figures lie and liars figure"... Statistics can be made to prove almost any point, from either side... all we need to see that is to look at the political ads blitzing the airways right now.

But if you examine the real world evidence, it may shed some clarity.

BBBJ's have pretty much become the norm in the hobby.  Providers who only offer CBJs are rapidly falling by the wayside.  I can think of a lot of girls and several PSEs who started out covered and are now offering BBBJs.  

And look at the number of reviews posted right here on TER.  I think we can we agree that posted reviews probably represent a miniscule percentage of the total number of paid sexual encounters that occur daily around this country.  So TER is in a way a labratory of sexualality... researchers should spend time reading these boards to get information.  I think that if there were a lot of STDs being transmitted through uncovered oral encounters with providers, there certainly would have been a scientific report published about it in one of the journals, and given the nature of the subject it would have been picked up on and sensationalized in the news media: "Hookers giving johns sexually tramsmitted diseases at an alarming rate; do you know where your husband is? - news at 11"

So far, I haven't seen ANY evidence that guys are getting STDs from BBBJs.

All I can do is use my own history as a guide... I've had a LOT of BBBJs over the years, and have NEVER had an STD.  The worse thing I can say is that I MAY have caught a cold from a provider once or twice.

So while it's obviously statistically possible to get an STD from oral sex, my bet is that the chances are extremely low.

Once again, though, it all comes down to common sense and risk analysis... I'm single and uninvolved, so I'm willing to take more risk than a married or attached guy is (or at least should be).  It's our own responsibility to be as informed as possible, and use that information along with reasoning to decide what we're comfortable doing.  It's different for everyone.