The work presents a systematic comparative study of the elemental composition of dental cements of different
types (glass ionomer, zinc phosphate) and price categories (economy, middle, premium) by a.c. arc optical
emission spectrometry. The relevance of the study is due to the direct contact of materials with biological tissues
of the oral cavity and high requirements for chemical safety. The aim was to identify potentially toxic microand macro-impurities, as well as to assess the correlation between the cost of the material and the purity of its
mineral composition from the standpoint of physicochemical homogeneity of raw materials. The analysis was
performed on samples after polymerization, simulating clinical conditions. It was found that in the
economy-segment cement, heavy metals – lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) – were detected at concentrations
significantly exceeding the background levels of natural phosphates, indicating the use of technologically
contaminated raw materials or violation of the manufacturing process. In middle-segment materials, lanthanum
(La), a rare earth element, was identified; its presence may be either a consequence of the processing of
secondary mineral raw materials with accumulation of impurities or a targeted modification to increase
radiopacity, which requires additional toxicological analysis of its chemical form. Premium-segment cements
demonstrate minimal impurity content (total < 0.01 wt.%) and stoichiometrically stable ratios of basic elements
(Al, Mg, Si, P, Zn) characteristic of pure phosphate and aluminosilicate glass phases. The obtained results
indicate a direct dependence of the purity of the mineral base on the product price and the absence of strict
impurity control in budget series. From a practical point of view, the work substantiates the need to include the
determination of Pb and Cd in the mandatory certification protocol for dental cements, as well as to add
lanthanum to the list of controlled markers of technogenic contamination of raw materials.