TMD DIAGNOSTIC DECISION-MAKING AND PROBABILITY-THEORY .1.

This article is an educational analysis and discussion of some recentl y proposed diagnostic criteria, diagnostic methods, and diagnostic dec ision processes, pertaining specifically to temporomandibular disorder s (TMD), On the basis of a discussion of classic probability theory, c lassic measurement theory, and examples using nonparametric inferentia l statistical tests, it is suggested that certain TMD diagnostic crite ria and methods, and their associated decision matrix, favor subjectiv e clinical opinions (largely pseudoscientific observations) and arbitr ary clinical indices rather than objective scientific facts.