The Repatriation Medical Authority determines the following Statement of Principles under subsection 196B(2) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.
Dated 19 December 2025
Professor Terence Campbell AM
Chairperson
by and on behalf of
The Repatriation Medical Authority
Contents
1 Name
2 Commencement
3 Authority
4 Repeal
5 Application
6 Definitions
7 Kind of injury, disease or death to which this Statement of Principles relates
8 Basis for determining the factors
9 Factors that must exist
10 Relationship to service
11 Factors referring to an injury or disease covered by another Statement of Principles
Schedule 1 - Dictionary
1 Definitions
Name
This is the Statement of Principles concerning bruxism (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 7 of 2026).
Commencement
This instrument commences on 19 January 2026.
Authority
This instrument is made under subsection 196B(2) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.
Repeal
The Statement of Principles concerning bruxism (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 91 of 2016) (Federal Register of Legislation No. F2016L01672) made under subsection 196B(2) of the VEA is repealed.
Application
This instrument applies to a claim to which section 120A of the VEA or section 338 of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 applies.
Section 1 - Statement of Principles concerning bruxism (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 7 of 2026) - Statement of Principles concerning bruxism (Reasonable Hypothesis) (No. 7 of 2026) | Zoe
Definitions
The terms defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary have the meaning given when used in this instrument.
Kind of injury, disease or death to which this Statement of Principles relates
This Statement of Principles is about bruxism and death from bruxism.
Meaning of bruxism
For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, bruxism means a disorder of jaw muscle activity characterised by repetitive, involuntary clenching or grinding of the teeth or by bracing or thrusting of the mandible, occurring during wakefulness or sleep.
While bruxism attracts ICD‑10‑AM code G47.63 or F45.8, in applying this Statement of Principles the meaning of bruxism is that given in subsection (2).
For subsection (3), a reference to an ICD-10-AM code is a reference to the code assigned to a particular kind of injury or disease in The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM), Tenth Edition, effective date of 1 July 2017, copyrighted by the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, ISBN 978-1-76007-296-4.
Death from bruxism
For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, bruxism, in relation to a person, includes death from a terminal event or condition that was contributed to by the person's bruxism.
Note: terminal event is defined in the Schedule 1 – Dictionary.
Basis for determining the factors
The Repatriation Medical Authority is of the view that there is sound medical-scientific evidence that indicates that bruxism and death from bruxism can be related to relevant service rendered by veterans, members of Peacekeeping Forces, or members of the Forces under the VEA, or members under the MRCA.
Note: MRCA, relevant service and VEA are defined in the Schedule 1 – Dictionary.
Factors that must exist
At least one of the following factors must as a minimum exist before it can be said that a reasonable hypothesis has been raised connecting bruxism or death from bruxism with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:
experiencing a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury within the 30 days before clinical onset or clinical worsening;
having a clinically significant neurological condition as specified at the time of the clinical onset or clinical worsening;
Note: clinically significant neurological condition as specified is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
having one of the following clinically significant disorders of mental health at the time of clinical onset or clinical worsening:
anxiety disorder;
depressive disorder;
posttraumatic stress disorder;
Note: clinically significant disorder of mental health is defined in the Schedule 1 dictionary.
taking any of the following at the time of the clinical onset or clinical worsening;
amphetamines or amphetamine derivatives, including methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy or MDMA);
antipsychotics;
cocaine;
dexamphetamine;
flunarizine;
levodopa;
methylphenidate;
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors;
serotonin and noradrenaline (norepinephrine) reuptake inhibitors;
consuming an average of at least 30 grams of alcohol per day for a continuous period of 6 months before the clinical onset or clinical worsening;
Note: Alcohol consumption is calculated utilising the Australian Standard of 10 grams of alcohol per standard alcoholic drink
consuming an average of at least 6 cups of caffeinated coffee per day, daily during the 6 months before clinical onset or clinical worsening;
having gastro-oesophageal reflux disease at the time of the clinical onset or clinical worsening;
inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for bruxism before clinical worsening.
Relationship to service
The existence in a person of any factor referred to in section 9, must be related to the relevant service rendered by the person.
The clinical worsening aspect of factors set out in subsection 9 apply only to material contribution to, or aggravation of, bruxism where the person's bruxism was suffered or contracted before or during (but did not arise out of) the person's relevant service.
Factors referring to an injury or disease covered by another Statement of Principles
In this Statement of Principles:
if a factor referred to in section 9 applies in relation to a person; and
that factor refers to an injury or disease in respect of which a Statement of Principles has been determined under subsection 196B(2) of the VEA;
then the factors in that Statement of Principles apply in accordance with the terms of that Statement of Principles as in force from time to time.
Schedule 1 - Dictionary
Note: See Section 6
1 Definitions
In this instrument:
bruxism—see subsection 7(2).
clinically significant disorder of mental health means a disorder of mental health which is of sufficient severity to warrant ongoing management.
Note: To warrant ongoing management does not require that any actual management was received or given for the condition.
clinically significant neurological condition as specified means one of the following conditions:
(a) cerebrovascular accident;
(b) craniocervical dystonia;
(c) Huntington's chorea;
(d) multiple sclerosis;
(e) Parkinson disease and Secondary Parkinsonism;
(f) subarachnoid haemorrhage; or
(g) subdural haematoma.
Note: craniocervical dystonia is also defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
craniocervical dystonia means cervical, facial, cranial or oromandibular dystonia, including spasmodic torticollis.
MRCA means the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004.
relevant service means:
(a) operational service under the VEA;
(b) peacekeeping service under the VEA;
(c) hazardous service under the VEA;
(d) British nuclear test defence service under the VEA;
(e) warlike service under the MRCA; or
(f) non-warlike service under the MRCA.
Note: MRCA and VEA are defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
terminal event means the proximate or ultimate cause of death and includes the following: