[What is the status of clinical examination in orthopedic surgery of the jaw in 1991?].

The author endeavours to make a detailed description of the clinical examination of the face, which, if performed systematically, allows establishing an accurate diagnosis of the lesions in dysmorphosis and thus locating the latter's seat. The precise modalities of the surgical procedure are defined on the basis of cephalometry and of casts. Cephalometry does not define the site of surgery; it merely confirms it. In our opinion, the esthetic study of the face with the detailed clinical examination remains the key element for the assessment of dysmorphosis.