Research Information System
Kulak Burun Boğaz Uygulamaları, vol.10, no.2, pp.68-76, 2022 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)
Objectives: This study aimed to translate the Facial Clinimetric Evaluation (FaCE) scale into Turkish and then validate the Turkish version (FaCE-T) for use in Turkish patients. Patients and Methods: This reliability and validity study was conducted between July 2018 and October 2019. Thirty patients (14 males, 16 females; mean age: 48.2±7.8 years, range 18 to 72 years) with unilateral and peripheral facial paralysis who were able to write and read Turkish were included in the study. The control group consisted of 52 healthy subjects (24 males, 28 females; mean age: 41.3±9.6 years, range 18 to 73 years) with intact facial nerves and no history of facial paralysis. The reliability of the FaCE-T was analyzed according to its internal consistency and test-retest reproducibility. Test-retest reliability was computed by comparing the FaCE-T outcomes received at the first and second visits of the study group. Discriminant validity was computed by comparing the FaCE-T scores of the study and control groups. The responsivity to changes in Bell’s palsy effects have been analyzed by comparing the pre- and post-treatment FaCE-T scores of the patients. Results: In the study group, total and subscale FaCE-T scores were significantly lower than in the control group (p=0.0001). In the study group, FaCE-T scores and the total score were significantly higher after treatment than before treatment (p=0.0001). The internal consistency of the FaCE-T scale was high, and Cronbach's alpha was 0.960 before treatment and 0.893 after treatment. A significant difference was not observed between the first and last test evaluations of the FaCE-T scale in facial mobility, facial comfort, oral function, eye comfort, lacrimal comfort, social function, and the total score (all p>0.05). Conclusion: In this study, the FaCE-T questionnaire was found to be reliable, consistent, and valid for the Turkish population. The FaCE-T questionnaire is an appropriate questionnaire for the assessment of disease-specific quality of life in Turkish patients with facial paralysis.