Maxillofacial surgery: the impact of the Great War on both sides of the trenches.

"War is the father and King of all", Heraclitus the obscure philosopher, declares. It certainly appears that the specialty of maxillofacial surgery was greatly advanced during WWI. This article focuses on the circumstances under which the specialty was developed, the significant events and the important figures that played a leading role in the advancement of a new fascinating surgical specialty. The literature leaves no doubt that trench warfare despite its devastating outcome for humanity has forged the shape of modern maxillofacial surgery.