The Board has determined that the veteran's loss of teeth is not related to his service-connected seizure disorder and the medication prescribed for it. The loss was due to improper oral hygiene, which developed years after service.
The deciding factor: The VA dental examiner concluded that the veteran's periodontitis, leading to tooth loss, was primarily due to improper oral hygiene rather than the use of Dilantin during his service-connected seizure disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- tooth loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2003
- Citation
- 0301293
Veterans Law Judge
Acting
Decisions by this judge: 191 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0301293.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted the Veteran's applications to reopen claims for service connection for mononucleosis, pulmonary emphysema, and severe tooth loss. The claim for TDIU was denied as moot due to a combined 100% rating.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for tooth loss, carpal tunnel syndrome of the right and left upper extremities, and a right middle finger disability as there was no evidence showing that these conditions were incurred in or caused by service.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a respiratory disability but dismissed appeals for service connection and increased ratings for various other conditions.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal due to an improper concurrent election of review options.
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