Self-Reported vs Administrative Race/Ethnicity Data and Study Results

Concerns about administrative data on race/ethnicity have led some researchers to consider self-reported race/ethnicity as superior.1–5 However, few studies have examined the differential impact of the source of race/ethnicity data, that is, observed or selfreported, on study outcomes. We investigated whether differences in reporting of race/ethnicity led to different results with regard to the use of one therapeutic dental procedure, root canal therapy.