A realistic approach to locating a dental practice involves the consideration of factors affecting the demand for dental services in an area. This dictates examination of the demographic and economic determinants of demand. Many retail businesses have used this approach to making locational decisions, and dentistry should benefit from this same process. If the thesis is accepted that dentistry is a business as well as a profession, it follows that the dentist-business person must be permitted, indeed expected, to make a reasonable return in revenue on the investment of dollars in education, equipment, and other related expenses. This return on investment occurs only when there is adequate patient flow. An objective procedure to assess demand for dental services at a particular location has been described. With this method, students were expected to: Visit the community and, through interviews with other professionals and knowledgeable business persons, determine the extent of the probable dental service area. The service area is circumscribed on a census map. Use the census subdivision numbers on the map to secure data from the state data center that describes the area's population, in regard to age, race, gender, income, and education. Transfer the data to a spreadsheet designed to generate total visits, according to each of the demand determinants. Calculate the number of FTE practitioners needed to meet this potential demand, and compare this with the number of FTE dentists presently practicing in the community. Fourteen senior dental students, who have since graduated, have completed this procedure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)