VA Dental Disability Ratings
What Are Dental Disabilities?
Dental issues are considered disabilities if they affect a person’s quality of life. For example, dental disabilities can include tooth decay, loss of teeth, periodontal disease, jaw injuries, and other pathological orofacial conditions.
Service Connection for Dental and Oral Disabilities
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides disability compensation for veterans with certain dental and oral disabilities resulting from their military service. To qualify for VA benefits for dental disabilities, veterans must have evidence of the following three things:
- An in-service event, injury, or illness;
- A current diagnosis of a dental or oral condition by a medical professional; and
- A nexus, or link, between the in-service event and current disability.
A medical professional can provide a nexus opinion for a veteran’s claim. VA also typically schedules a Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam to determine if there is a connection between the in-service event and the veteran’s disability.
Veterans may also be eligible for secondary service connection for their dental disability if it resulted from another service-connected condition.
VA Disability Ratings for Dental and Oral Conditions
For compensation purposes, VA rates dental and oral conditions under 38 CFR § 4.150, Diagnostic Codes (DCs) 9900 to 9918. VA mouth and teeth ratings range from 0 to 100 percent in increments of 10 percent. VA provides the highest schedular compensation to veterans with 100 percent ratings, as their dental conditions are considered totally disabling.
The following are VA’s rating criteria for service-connected dental disabilities:
Mandible (Lower Jaw) Ratings
Diagnostic Code 9900 – Maxilla (i.e., upper jaw or jawbone), mandible (i.e., lower jaw or jawbone), chronic osteomyelitis (i.e., bone infection), osteoradionecrosis (i.e., complication from radiation therapy to the head and neck resulting in bone death), and osteonecrosis (i.e., death of bone cells due to decreased blood flow) are rated analogously to osteomyelitis under diagnostic code 5000.
Diagnostic Code 9901 – Mandible (loss of, complete, between angles) is rated at 100 percent.
Diagnostic Code 9902 – Mandible (loss of, including ramus, unilaterally or bilaterally) is rated at:
- 70 percent: loss of one half or more or less than one half, involving temporomandibular articulation, not replaceable by prosthesis.
- 50 percent: loss of one half or more or less than one half, involving temporomandibular articulation, replaceable by prosthesis.
- 40 percent: loss of one half or more, not involving temporomandibular articulation, not replaceable by prosthesis.
- 30 percent: loss of one half or more, not involving temporomandibular articulation, replaceable by prosthesis.
- 20 percent: loss of less than one half, not involving temporomandibular articulation, not replaceable by prosthesis.
- 10 percent: loss of less than one half, not involving temporomandibular articulation, replaceable by prosthesis.
Diagnostic Code 9903 – Mandible (nonunion of, confirmed by diagnostic imaging studies) is rated at:
- 30 percent: severe, with false motion.
- 10 percent: moderate, without false motion.
Diagnostic Code 9904 – Mandible (malunion of) is rated at:
- 20 percent: displacement, causing severe anterior or posterior open bite.
- 10 percent: displacement, causing moderate anterior or posterior open bite.
- 0 percent: displacement, not causing anterior or posterior open bite.
Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) Ratings
Diagnostic Code 9905 – The ratings for temporomandibular disorder (TMD)—a disorder of the jaw muscles and nerves associated with chronic facial pain—are based on an “interincisal range of maximum unassisted vertical opening” of:
- 0 to 10 mm: 50 percent rating with dietary restrictions to all mechanically altered foods (i.e., blending, chopping, etc. to make food easier to eat), and 40 percent rating without dietary restrictions.
- 11 to 20 mm: 40 percent with dietary restrictions, and 30 percent
- 21 to 29 mm: 40 percent with dietary restrictions to full liquid and pureed foods; 30 percent with dietary restrictions to soft and semi-solid foods; and 20 percent without dietary restrictions.
- 30 to 34 mm: 30 percent with dietary restrictions to full liquid and pureed foods; 20 percent with dietary restrictions to soft and semi-solid foods; and 10 percent without dietary restrictions.
It is important to note that for VA compensation purposes, the normal “maximum unassisted range of vertical jaw opening” is from 35 to 50 mm. In addition, VA assigns a 10 percent rating for TMD with lateral excursion range of motion from 0 to 4 mm.
Loss of Condyloid, Coronoid, and Hard Palate Ratings
Diagnostic Code 9908 – Loss of one or both sides of condyloid process (i.e., ramus of the mandible articulates with the temporal bone) is rated at 30 percent.
Diagnostic Code 9909 – Loss of coronoid process (i.e., bony buttress that prevents posterior dislocation) is rated at 20 percent for bilateral and 10 percent for unilateral.
Diagnostic Code 9911 – Loss of hard palate (i.e., thin horizontal bony plate forming a subsection of the palate and the mouth) is rated at:
- 30 percent: for loss of half or more, not replaceable by prosthesis.
- 20 percent: for loss of less than half, not replaceable by prosthesis.
- 10 percent: for loss of half or more, replaceable by prosthesis.
- 0 percent: for loss of less than half, replaceable by prosthesis.
Loss of Teeth Ratings
Diagnostic Code 9913 – Loss of teeth due to loss of substance of maxilla or mandible, which cannot be restored by suitable prosthesis, is rated at:
- 40 percent: for loss of all teeth.
- 30 percent: for loss of all upper teeth or all lower teeth.
- 20 percent: for loss of all upper and lower posterior teeth or anterior teeth.
- 10 percent: for loss of all upper or lower anterior teeth, or loss of all upper and lower teeth on one side.
Maxilla (Upper Jaw) Ratings
Diagnostic Code 9914 – Loss of more than half of maxilla is rated at 100 percent if not replaceable by prosthesis and 50 percent if replaceable by prosthesis.
Diagnostic Code 9915 – Loss of half or less of maxilla:
- 40 percent: for loss of 25 to 50 percent, not replaceable by prosthesis.
- 30 percent: for loss of 25 to 50 percent, replaceable by prosthesis.
- 20 percent: for loss of less than 25 percent, not replaceable by prosthesis.
- 0 percent: for loss of less than 25 percent, replaceable by prosthesis.
Diagnostic Code 9916 – Malunion or nonunion of maxilla is rated at:
- 30 percent: nonunion with false motion; or malunion with displacement, causing severe anterior or posterior open bite.
- 10 percent: nonunion without false motion; or malunion with displacement, causing moderate anterior or posterior open bite.
- 0 percent: malunion with displacement, causing mild anterior or posterior open bite.
It is important to note that maxillary nonunion must be confirmed by diagnostic imaging studies.
Neoplasm (Tumor) Ratings
A benign neoplasm (i.e., tumor) in the bone or teeth is rated based on the loss of supporting structure or functional impairment under Diagnostic Code 9917.
A malignant (i.e., cancerous) tumor is rated at 100 percent under Diagnostic Code 9918. This rating continues for as long as the cancer is active, and then for another six months following the successful completion of a treatment program, such as chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. VA will then reevaluate the veteran’s condition and assign a rating based on the severity of its residuals.
VA Dental Benefits
In addition to compensation for dental disabilities, VA also offers certain dental benefits to qualifying veterans. VA dental care ranges from regular cleanings to reconstruction surgery. The type and amount of care you receive through VA depends on your eligibility.
The following are some of VA’s dental services:
- Regular dental cleanings and x-rays.
- Restorative procedures, such as fillings, crowns, and bridges
- Dentures
- Oral surgery, such as tooth extractions
- Oral and facial reconstruction surgery
Was Your Dental Disability Claim Denied?
If VA denied your claim for a dental disability, Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD may be able to help. Our accredited attorneys and claims agents have decades of collective experience assisting veterans in obtaining benefits on appeal. We have successfully represented veterans before VA, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC). Reach out to CCK today to schedule a free consultation.
