TMD Diagnostic Decision-Making and Probability Theory. Part I

Abstract:

This article is an educational analysis and discussion of some recently proposed diagnostic criteria, diagnostic methods, and diagnostic decision processes, pertaining specifically to temporomandibular disorders (TMD). On the basis of a discussion of classic probability theory, classic measurement theory, and examples using nonparametric inferential statistical tests, it is suggested that certain TMD diagnostic criteria and methods, and their associated decision matrix, favor subjective clinical opinions (largely pseudoscientific observations) and arbitrary clinical indices rather than objective scientific facts.