A validated lip fullness grading scale

Abstract

Objectives: To develop the Lip Fullness Grading Scale for objective quantification of lip volume for a reliable assessment and to establish the reliability of this photonumeric scale for clinical research and practice.

Materials and methods: A 5-point photonumeric rating scale was developed to objectively quantify fullness of upper and lower lip separately. Nine experts rated photographs of 35 subjects, twice, separately for upper and lower lip. Inter- and intrarater variability was assessed by computing intraclass correlation coefficients.

Results: Agreement between the experts was high. Bubble plots (bivariate scatter plots) demonstrated linearity in judgment by the experts.

Conclusion: The 5-point photonumeric scale generated spans the fullness of the upper and lower lip for which patients commonly seek correction. This scale is well stratified, with low intra- and interrater variability.