The State : UC Given $2.7 Million for AIDS Study

The School of Dentistry at the University of California, San Francisco, which will open a dental clinic for AIDS patients in September, received a $2.7-million grant for further AIDS research, officials said. The grant from the National Institute of Dental Research will fund a five-year study on how acquired immune deficiency syndrome-related mouth and gum diseases relate to overall progression of the disease, a spokeswoman said. The school, a national leader in research on oral problems related to AIDS, was the first to describe AIDS symptoms in the mouth, including a lesion known as hairy leukoplakia, which is considered a clinical indicator for later development of AIDS. The school also developed a treatment for the lesion. The school is scheduled to open the clinic in September under a grant from the American Fund for Dental Health, spokeswoman Michela Reichman said.