the first step to become a dentist in brazil is to take a 10-subject examination (biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, literature, one of the 5 main languages offered by the institutions, portuguese, history, geography and an essay) which might be compared to the sat exam in the us. these examinations vary from institution to institution; however, odontology is one of the hardest courses to get in and most students come from upper classes due to the level of difficulty and steep tuition prices. students must complete the 5-year bachelor of dental surgery (b.d.s.). skills capacitation courses after graduation are required in different dental areas, which take between 2 and 3 years (d.d.s). universities of dental care are provided by both the private and public sector. the course's conclusion must be registered and licensed by the nationalized dental board of brazil so that the students obtain the dentistry certificate. however, private clinics are the most common place a person would go if a dentist is needed. today, the private market is dominated by large companies that hire mostly recently graduated dentists. nevertheless, there are thousands of small clinics spread throughout the country. the practice of dentistry in brazil is overseen by cfo "conselho federal de odontologia", a federal entity that coordinates the 27 state bodies. this institution has 340,000 registered dentists and 191 universities and/or colleges in brazil. brazil has become a leading country at the international level in areas such as dentistry international research, implantology, periodontics, endodontic, protesis, aesthetics dentistry, pediatric dentistry, orthodontics and functional jaw orthopaedics, and oral & maxillofacial surgery. the brazilian dentistry department develops, all over the country, many innovative techniques and conducts dentistry research related to different aspects. dentists in the mercosur are eligible to work in argentina, chile, paraguay, uruguay and peru.