Development of a novel orofacial motor function assessment scale for children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop the orofacial motor function assessment scale (OFMFAS) and appraise its performance in terms of validity and reliability in a cohort of 116 cerebral palsy patients.

Methods: The scale was developed according to a process derived from the theory of measurement and scale development previously described in the dental literature. The final version of the OFMFAS comprises 13 items that have 30 subitems. Results were statistically analyzed by Bland-Altman for: (1) intrarater consistency; (2) kappa coefficient for inter-rater agreement; and (3) Cronbach alpha for internal consistency reliability.

Results: The majority of OFMFAS items showed a very good agreement between the raters (K>0.75). Cronbach alpha for the 13-item scale was 0.93, indicating excellent internal consistency reliability.

Conclusion: This study shows that the oralfacial motor function assessment scale is the first statistically-based scale for the quantitative assessment of oral-motor skills in cerebral palsy children. It is an easy-to-use, accurate, and valid method of assessment.