Arabic Validation and cross-cultural Adaptation of the Facial Clinimetric Evaluation Scale for Peripheral Facial Palsy Patients

Abstract Objective. This study aims to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Arabic version of the Facial Clinimetric Evaluation (FaCE) Scale for assessing the quality of life in patients with facial palsy. Methods We performed cross-cultural adaptation through forward and backward translation for the original English version of the FaCE scale. We also conducted a pilot study to evaluate content validity and correct confusing language. The validation study was conducted. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient tested internal consistency. Construct validity was tested by Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient correlation between the FaCE scale score and House-Brackmann, Short Form 12 (SF-12). Test-retest reliability was done after two weeks. Results Over 12 months, 64 patients were included. Cronbach’s alpha for total domain scored of the FaCE scale at day zero and day 14 was 0.933 and 0.922 respectively. The total score of the FaCE scale strongly correlated with HB, SF-12 PCS, and MCS scales, with a Spearman r value of − .839 and .809 and .873 (p < 0.001) respectively. There was good test-retest reliability of the FaCE scale (Spearman's correlation = 0.982). In contrast to physical domains, the social function domain of FaCE showed lower correlation values with the HB scale (Spearman r value − .574). Conclusion The Arabic version of the FaCE scale is a valid, reliable, and easy-to-practice tool for evaluating QoL for patients with peripheral facial palsy. It demonstrates good psychometric properties with high validity and reliability, which is a helpful tool for clinical situations and research purposes for Arabic speakers.