Analysis of a Brazilian cross-cultural adaptation of the FACE-Q SFAOS in facial harmonization in dentistry

Abstract

The FACE-Q SFAOS is an instrument developed for esthetic facial procedures and has been validated in patients undergoing rhinoplasty. It consists of ten items that assess the current perception of facial appearance regarding symmetry, harmony, proportion, freshness or vitality, and self-perception of appearance; these items are perhaps important to guide demands in orofacial harmonization (OFH). We aimed to validate the FACE-Q SFAOS scale among professionals working with OFH and verify its acceptance for use in clinical practice. Altogether, 25 OFH specialists were included to evaluate the FACE-Q SFAOS scale and the new technology acceptability model (TAM). Internal validity was measured using Cronbach’s α coefficient. Both scales were associated with clinical experience and perceived usefulness using Spearman’s correlation and Fisher’s exact or chi-square tests (SPSS 20.0, p<0.05). The FACE-Q SFAOS (α = 0.927) and TAM (α = 0.941) scales demonstrated good internal validity, and most professionals demonstrated good acceptance (TAM >70 = 64%). The mean FACE-Q SFAOS and TAM scores were 64.00±17.03 and 74.60±20.66, respectively. Practitioners with more than two years of experience (p=0.032) who believed the scale was useful for lip filler evaluation (p = 0.017) demonstrated greater acceptance. The number of indications on the scale was directly correlated with higher levels of acceptance (p = 0.002, r = 0.594). Thus, the FACE-Q SFAOS scale has good reproducibility and acceptance among OFH specialists; however, acceptability was shown to be dependent on perceived usability.