Computing the Dirichlet-Multinomial Log-Likelihood Function

Abstract: Dirichlet-multinomial (DMN) distribution is commonly used to model over-dispersion in count data. Precise and fast numerical computation of the DMN log-likelihood function is important for performing statistical inference using this distribution, and remains a challenge. To address this, we use mathematical properties of the gamma function to derive a closed form expression for the DMN log-likelihood function. Compared to existing methods, calculation of the closed form has a lower computational complexity, hence is much faster without comprimising computational accuracy.