[Total work disability: a national inquiry in France]

Physicians are often asked to draft a descriptive medical certificate for victims of traumatic maxillofacial injuries. Among other requisites, this certificate must mention the subject's total work disability. If the injury results from intentional or unintentional assault and battery, the duration of the work disability will determine the competence of the court that will try and condemn the perpetrator. Thus the total work disability certificate has penal value and should be used only for this purpose. Using the data acquired from a national inquiry in France, we evaluated common practices among a panel of maxillofacial teams concerning the information mentioned on the initial medical certificate and, in particular, the duration of work disability allocated for the most frequent facial fractures. The aim of this study was to establish, based on the observed practices, whether it would be licit to propose a total work disability scale for maxillofacial trauma.