Answer
a. Approximately 900 dentists.
b. Answer varies.
Work Step by Step
a. Estimate that a dentist sees 10 patients a day. Also assume that a dentist works 4 days a week, for 50 weeks per year – that’s 200 days per year. Assume that each resident visits the dentist twice per year.
For San Francisco, the population in 2016 was about 900,000 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Estimate the number of dentists.
$$(9\times10^5\;residents)(\frac{2\;visits/year}{resident})(\frac{1\;year}{200\;workdays})(\frac{1 \;dentist}{10\;visits/workday})\approx 900 dentists$$
b. Perform the same calculation for your own town/city.
