In the summer of 1999 the BDA conducted a Timings Inquiry in order to provide information on treatment timings within the General Dental Services (GDS) and to develop a model of an hourly rate for general practice. A panel of dentists measured the absolute time taken to carry out 21 key treatments. The relative times of related treatments were then estimated. The panel also came to consensus about the variables to construct the hourly rate model. The absolute timings exercise was applied to the hourly rate model in order to draw some conclusions about the average earnings of a full-time dentist committed to the NHS. This information formed a central part of the BDA's 1999 evidence to the Doctors and Dentists Review Body.