There are considerable demographic data that can be used in an organized manner to give dentists and graduating dental students greater insight relative to locating dental practices. This article further explores the concept and emphasizes the methods that can be used to measure and compare qualitatively the suitability of communities (service areas) and specific sites as practice locations. In addition, a method is reported that enables the user to ascertain the representativeness of a service area in terms of the demographic factors that affect the demand for dental services.