Using a National Register as a Sampling Frame from the Perspective of an Early Career Researcher

Selection of a sampling frame is a key component of conducting survey-based research. This article discusses the use of a national register, the Dental Register, as a sampling frame from the perspective of an early career researcher.

While conducting a survey-based study of a nationally representative sample of general dentists in Ireland, I documented the difficulties I encountered while using a national register. As a research assistant and novice researcher, I recorded the advantages and disadvantages I discovered over the course of the project and its impact on the study.

While using a national register has advantages such as a readily available sample of the target population, there are also inherent disadvantages depending on the manner in which records are recorded.

This article can be used as an informative guide to researchers in selecting a sampling frame, with particular emphasis on the use of a national register in selecting a nationally representative sample of dentists.