The Board finds that the veteran's loss of teeth during service is due to natural progression and not combat or trauma, thus granting service connection for his dental disorder. However, as all relevant evidence shows that he has no remaining teeth, he does not meet the criteria for VA dental treatment.
The deciding factor: The loss of all teeth was a result of natural progression rather than combat or trauma during service.
- Claimed conditions
- missing teeth
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2003
- Citation
- 0301588
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0301588.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied service connection for missing teeth and remanded the claims for temporomandibular disorder, left knee disability, and back disability due to a need for additional evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a dental condition, including missing teeth, for compensation purposes due to a lack of evidence demonstrating a current disability that meets the criteria for a compensable dental disability as defined by VA regulations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for missing teeth, bilateral tendonitis of the hands/fingers, obstructive sleep apnea, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board requires an addendum opinion from an appropriate clinician regarding whether these disabilities are related to service or toxic exposure.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for service connection for missing teeth was dismissed because his appeal did not meet the requirements of the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA).
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