Body system: Dental and Oral ConditionsRegulation: 38 CFR § 4.150DBQ: DBQ DENTAL Oral and Dental
This rating covers tooth loss that happens when part of your jaw bone is damaged or removed, but your jaw remains in one piece. The VA rates this condition from 0% to 40% based on how many teeth you've lost. The percentages reflect how much your ability to chew and eat is affected - losing all teeth gets 40%, while tooth loss that can be fixed with dentures or other dental work gets 0%.
Rating levels
- 40% — You qualify for this rating if you have lost all of your teeth due to damage or loss of jaw bone material in either your upper jaw (maxilla) or lower jaw (mandible), but the jawbone itself is still in one piece. The tooth loss must be caused by the underlying bone damage in your jaw, not from other dental issues like decay or gum disease.
- 30% — You qualify for this rating if you have lost all of your upper teeth due to damage or loss of bone tissue in your upper jaw (maxilla) or lower jaw (mandible), but the jawbone itself remains in one piece without any breaks or gaps. The tooth loss must be directly caused by the bone damage in your jaw, not from other dental problems like cavities or gum disease.
- 30% — You qualify for this rating if you have lost all of your bottom teeth due to damage or deterioration of your lower jaw bone (mandible) where the bone substance is gone but the jaw itself is still in one piece. The tooth loss must be directly caused by the jaw bone damage, not from other dental problems like cavities or gum disease.
- 20% — All of your back teeth (molars and premolars) on both your upper and lower jaws are missing due to damage or loss of bone in your jaw, but the jaw bone itself is still in one piece and hasn't been broken or separated. This applies when you've lost these teeth because the jawbone (maxilla is the upper jaw, mandible is the lower jaw) has been damaged or worn away, making it impossible for the teeth to remain attached.
- 20% — You qualify for this rating if you're missing all of your front teeth on both the top and bottom of your mouth. The "anterior teeth" are your front teeth - specifically the incisors and canine teeth that you use for biting and that are visible when you smile. This applies when you've lost these teeth due to damage to your jaw bones (maxilla is your upper jaw, mandible is your lower jaw) but the jaw bones themselves are still in one piece.
- 10% — You qualify for this rating if all of your upper front teeth are missing. This includes the six teeth at the front of your upper jaw (the four incisors and two canine teeth that are most visible when you smile). The tooth loss must be due to damage or deterioration of your upper jaw bone, but the jaw bone itself must still be in one piece without any breaks or gaps.
- 10% — You qualify for this rating if you're missing all of your lower front teeth (the six teeth in the front of your bottom jaw that are visible when you smile). The tooth loss must be due to damage or deterioration of your upper jaw bone (maxilla) or lower jaw bone (mandible), but the jaw bone itself must still be in one piece without any breaks or gaps.
- 10% — You qualify for this rating if you're missing all of your teeth on either the left or right side of your mouth, both upper and lower teeth on that same side. This applies when you've lost the teeth due to damage or loss of jaw bone material (maxilla is your upper jaw, mandible is your lower jaw) but the jaw bone itself is still in one piece and hasn't been broken apart or surgically removed.
- 0% — You qualify under this criteria if you've lost teeth because part of your jaw bone (maxilla is your upper jaw, mandible is your lower jaw) has been damaged or lost, but your jaw itself is still in one piece. The key requirement is that your ability to chew can be fully restored with dentures, partial dentures, or other dental appliances that properly replace the missing teeth's chewing surfaces.