The Veteran's claim for service connection for a dental disability, claimed as gum infection and dental condition of the upper and lower teeth, is denied. The preponderance of evidence does not support the presence of a current dental disability or any dental trauma in service.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence showing a loss of substance of the body of maxilla or mandible due to trauma or disease such as osteomyelitis, which are necessary for compensation benefits. The Veteran's claim must be denied.
- Claimed conditions
- gum infection, dental condition of the upper and lower teeth
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 15, 2018
- Citation
- 1815748
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1815748.
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: Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a compensable dental disability for which service connection can be granted, and thus denied his claim.
- Whole decision: Denied
The VA determined that the appellant's current dental condition, including gum infection, is not related to any injury or trauma during service and denied his claim for service connection.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for loss of bone tissue resulting in loss of teeth, hypertension, and gum infection. The decision found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for loss of bone tissue resulting in loss of teeth. Service connection was not granted for hypertension or gum infection due to lack of medical evidence showing these conditions were incurred during service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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