What can I claim secondary to tooth wear?
1 condition in the Repatriation Medical Authority's Statements of Principles list tooth wear as a factor. If DVA has accepted your tooth wear, each of these has a documented pathway to a further claim.
At a glance
- Accepted conditionTooth wear
- Conditions it may open1
- SourceRMA SoPs
- Chart Review$600 + GST
How a secondary claim works
Some Statement of Principles factors are not about service at all — they name another condition. Where DVA has already accepted your tooth wear, and another condition's SoP lists tooth wear as a factor, that part of the next claim is already established on your file. How a secondary claim works, in full →
Conditions that list tooth wear as a factor
Quoted from the instrument. A pathway existing is not the same as a claim succeeding — each factor carries thresholds your record has to satisfy.
Tooth decay (dental caries)
BoP No. 75 of 2024
Balance of Probabilities — factor (1): “having tooth wear involving the affected tooth for at least the 3 months before clinical onset” [clinical onset]
This condition has a Balance of Probabilities instrument only, so the same test applies whatever your service type.
What else opens further claims
- Conditions secondary to diabetes mellitus
- Conditions secondary to hypertension
- Conditions secondary to moderate to severe traumatic brain injury
- Conditions secondary to alcohol use disorder
- Conditions secondary to cirrhosis of the liver
- Conditions secondary to hepatitis c
- Conditions secondary to depressive disorder
- Conditions secondary to sarcoidosis
- Check every condition you have accepted →
Frequently asked questions
Does this mean I will be accepted for these conditions?
No. It means the legislation contains a pathway. The factor still has to be met on your evidence, and the new condition still has to be diagnosed by a qualified practitioner.
Do I need a new diagnosis for each one?
Yes. DVA cannot accept liability for a condition that has not been diagnosed. If something here matches symptoms you have been living with, that is the conversation to have with a doctor.
Is this the same as an aggravation claim?
No. Aggravation is where service worsened a condition you already had. A sequela is a separate condition arising from one already accepted, claimed in its own right with its own SoP.
Where does this information come from?
The Repatriation Medical Authority Statements of Principles, as held in our SoP Library. We index the factor text of all 357 instruments. SoPs are amended regularly — confirm the current instrument before relying on it.
What should I do next?
Have your record read against these pathways. A chart review establishes which are actually provable, with the page reference behind each one.
What DVA means by tooth wear
A claim is tested against the definition first. If the diagnosis on your file does not meet this wording, the factors below never get reached — so it is worth checking that what your doctor wrote matches what the instrument requires.
Tooth wear, for the purposes of the Statement of Principles, for the purposes of this Statement of Principles, tooth wear means: (a) the localised or generalised loss of dental hard tissues (enamel, dentine and dental restorative material) due to an intrinsic or extrinsic mechanical or chemical process; and (b) where dentine is exposed on at least one tooth surface, and causes: (i) severe tooth pain or sensitivity; or (ii) significant impairment of effective tooth function; and (c) is confirmed by a dental clinician using a recognised tooth wear evaluation system; and (d) comprises: (i) dental abrasion; (ii) dental attrition; and (iii) dental erosion; and (e) excludes: (i) mild tooth wear which is confined to the enamel; and (ii) loss of tooth substance caused by dental caries or discrete dental trauma.
RH No. 52 of 2017 · BoP No. 53 of 2017 · 5 factors
What could support a claim for tooth wear?
The Statement of Principles for tooth wear names 1 other condition among its own factors. If any of these is already accepted on your file, it may be the factor that carries a tooth wear claim — quoted here from the instrument.
Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (3): “for dental erosion only: (a) consuming an average of at least 750 millilitres per day of any combination of drinks from the specified list of erosive drinks: (i) for a continuous period of at least two years before the clinical onset of tooth wear; and (ii) where that exposure has ceased, the clinical onset of tooth wear has occurred within one year of cessation; (b) having gastro-oesophageal reflux disease within the two years before the clinical onset of tooth wear; (c) having an eating disorder at the time of the clinical onset of tooth wear; (d) having alcohol use disorder at the time of the clinical onset of tooth wear; (e) having xerostomia for at least the six months before the clinical onset of tooth wear; (f) having hyperemesis gravidarum within the three months before the clinical onset of tooth wear; (g) swimming in a swimming pool with a pH below 5.5 for a cumulative period of at least 25 hours within the 30 days before the clinical onset of tooth wear; (h) taking a drug from the specified list of drugs, on average at least daily, for a continuous period of at least the six months before the clinical onset of tooth wear, and where: (i) a dissolved solution of the drug is swilled around the teeth; or (ii) the drug is retained in the mouth adjacent to the affected site; or (i) breathing fumes of a substance from the specified list of acidic substances at a concentration of greater than 0.5 milligrams per cubic metre: (i) for a cumulative period of at least 1 000 hours before the clinical onset of tooth wear; and (ii) where that exposure has ceased, the clinical onset of tooth wear has occurred within six months of cessation” [clinical onset]
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (6): “for dental erosion only: (a) consuming an average of at least 750 millilitres per day of any combination of drinks from the specified list of erosive drinks: (i) for a continuous period of at least two years before the clinical worsening of tooth wear; and (ii) where that exposure has ceased, the clinical worsening of tooth wear has occurred within one year of cessation; (b) having gastro-oesophageal reflux disease within the two years before the clinical worsening of tooth wear; (c) having an eating disorder at the time of the clinical worsening of tooth wear; (d) having alcohol use disorder at the time of the clinical worsening of tooth wear; (e) having xerostomia for at least the six months before the clinical worsening of tooth wear; (f) having hyperemesis gravidarum within the three months before the clinical worsening of tooth wear; (g) swimming in a swimming pool with a pH below 5.5 for a cumulative period of at least 25 hours within the 30 days before the clinical worsening of tooth wear; (h) taking a drug from the specified list of drugs, on average at least daily, for a continuous period of at least the six months before the clinical worsening of tooth wear, and where: (i) a dissolved solution of the drug is swilled around the teeth; or (ii) the drug is retained in the mouth adjacent to the affected site; or (i) breathing fumes of a substance from the specified list of acidic substances at a concentration of greater than 0.5 milligrams per cubic metre: (i) for a cumulative period of at least 1 000 hours before the clinical worsening of tooth wear; and (ii) where that exposure has ceased, the clinical worsening of tooth wear has occurred within six months of cessation” [worsening]
Reviewed by Dr Thomas Perkins
Founding doctor, Veterans Health Centre · former RAAF aviation medical officer · 13 years working exclusively with ADF members and veterans. Full profile →
Tooth wear accepted?
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