Navy MEPS Dental Requirements

While there are no official dental exams for those undergoing Naval entrance physicals at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS), applicants are subject to some basic dental requirements as outlined in Department of Defense Directive 6130.03 (Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction in the Military Services). These requirements serve to prevent all military, including Navy, applicants with severe dental issues from joining, and any recruit not meeting these standards could be disqualified for service.

Cavities

• While there is no dentist at the MEPS to search through an applicant's teeth for hidden cavities, they can still be a disqualifying factor. Recruits with eight or more cavities visible to the naked eye will be disqualified for service in the Navy. This disqualification can be reversed once these cavities are treated. Those undergoing endontic care such as root canals, meanwhile, may join provided a civilian or military dentist can provide proof that active treatment will be completed upon an applicant's entrance to active duty.

Orthodontia

• Navy applicants undergoing orthodontic treatment through active measures such as braces (including invisible braces such as Invisilign) will be disqualified from military service until treatment is complete. Retainers, meanwhile, are acceptable and do not qualify as active orthodontic treatment. Applicants with braces can proceed with the enlistment process, but they must provide documentation from a military or civilian dentist stating that all active orthodontic treatment will be complete by the time the recruit enters active duty service.

Malocclusion

• In order to join the Navy, applicants must be free of severe malocclusion, or tooth misalignment. To be classified as severe, an applicant's teeth must be misaligned to the point of interfering with normal chewing or requiring active and prolonged dental treatment. Applicants with malocclusion so severe that it precludes treatment such as dentures or prosthetics will be permanently disqualified from Naval service.

Diseases

• In order to join the Navy, recruits must not have any diseases of the jaw or teeth that prevent normal functioning. Department of Defense Directive 6130.03 cites temporomandibular disorders, which have to do with the joint that hinges the jaw to the skull, and myofascial pain, which results in severe muscular discomfort in the jaw area, as specific examples. In general, though, applicants should have a normally functioning jaw in order to join the Navy.

Dentures

• While dentures are not disqualified for Naval service, applicants who use them must keep them in good working shape. Dentures must be functional and provide for normal jaw function and chewing to be considered acceptable.