Background: The Sunnybrook facial grading system (SFGS) is frequently applied to 
evaluate facial function in patients with facial palsy, but still now there is 
no validated German version of this evaluation sheet. Methods: The original 
English version of the SFGS was translated and validated in accordance with 
international standards. The interrater reliability from 5 raters (speech 
therapy students) and the intrarater reliability from repeated ratings at 2 time 
points using video tapes of 18 patients with different types of facial palsy 
were analyzed by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and 
other reliability measures. Results: ICC for the interrater reliability for the 
4 components of the SFGS, resting symmetry, symmetry during voluntary movements, 
synkinesis, and the composite score were ICC 0.845; 0.903; 0.731 and 0.918, 
respectively, for the first evaluation and ICC 0.881; 0.932; 0.818 and 0.940, 
respectively, for the second evaluation. The mean intrarater reliability for the 
4 SFGS scores was ICC=0.791; 0.906; 0.770 and 0.905. Discussion: There is now a 
valid German version of the SFGS available that can be used even by novices. The 
German version is suitable for evaluation of facial palsies in clinical routine 
and studies to allow a better comparability of German patients with results of 
the international literature.