Yes, kissing spreads bacteria among each other. According to many researches, the number of bacteria transferred from one kiss to each other is up to 80 million bacteria in a 10 second kiss. A kiss can transfer up to 700 different strains of bacteria. Partners who kiss at least nine times a day share similar oral bacterial communities.
Some bacteria are transferred to each other’s mouth more easily than others. The bacterial composition of the mouth does not change much after a kiss because couples may have already kissed so many times that they have similar bacterial populations. The research was conducted by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) in collaboration with Micropia, the world’s first microbe museum. Scientists took saliva and tongue samples from 21 couples before and after a 10-second kiss. They got couples kissing again after one partner drank probiotic yogurt, which contains bacteria not normally found in the mouth.
The ecosystem of more than 100 trillion microorganisms living in our bodies – the microbiome – is essential for food digestion, nutrient synthesis and disease prevention. It is shaped by genetics, diet and age as well as the individuals with whom we interact. There are more than 700 types of bacteria found in the mouth, so the oral microbiota is also influenced by those closest to us.
Researchers from Micropia and TNO in the Netherlands studied 21 couples, and asked them to fill out questionnaires on their kissing behavior, including their average intimate kissing frequency. They then took swab samples of the tongue and saliva to examine the composition of their oral microbiota.
The results showed that when couples kissed intimately at relatively high frequencies, their salivary microbiota became similar. On average, it was found that couples having at least nine intimate kisses per day resulted in significantly shared salivary microbiota.
said lead author Remco Court of TNO’s Department of Microbiology and Systems Biology and advisor to the Micropia Museum. “Intimate kissing involving full tongue contact and saliva exchange appears to be a courtship behavior unique to humans and is common in over 90% of known cultures.
Interestingly, current explanations for the function of intimate kissing in humans include the important role of the microbiota present in the oral cavity, although to our knowledge, the exact effects of intimate kissing on the oral microbiota have never been studied. We wanted to find out to what extent partners share their oral microbiota, and it turns out that the more a couple kisses, the more similar they are.
Disclaimer: Some information given in the news is based on media reports. Before implementing any suggestion, you must consult the concerned expert.
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