[Regarding orthognathic surgery]

The author scrutinises the evolution of orthognathic surgery for the last twenty years through the different parameters that participate to its origin; esthetic motivation, orthodontico-surgical collaboration, the limitation of widely used technics, a simple surgical solution, the spreading of rigid fixation, the interest of primary or secondary genioplasty, the consideration of ethnic differences,the usefulness of a maxillo-facial chain, the possible retreatment of failures and consideration for the stability of results.