Hydroxyapatite is a widely studied mineral due to its excellent biocompatibility and chemical similarity with the mineral portion of human bone. Stoichiometric hydroxyapatite Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 with a Ca/P ratio of 1.67 can be natural or synthetic. Its manufacturing processes are diverse and the final product depends on the mineral type and the parameters used in the process, and subsequent structural and elemental characterizations are important. This study aims to determine hydroxyapatite Ca/P ratios by using two different analytical techniques: HR-CS AAS and ICP OES. In the case of HR-CS AAS the following instrumental parameters were studied: acetylene flow rate, burner height, rate of aspiration, pixels and integration time. In the ICP-OES technique, the parameters were rate of aspiration, radiofrequency power and nebulizer gas flow rate. We performed a multivariate optimization and optimal conditions for each studied parameter were determined by the function of desirability. The HR-CS AAS measurements for calcium were conducted in a medium containing HNO3 0.2 per cent v/v and KCl 1 per cent m/v and, for phosphorous, a medium containing HNO3 5 per cent and KCl 0.1 per cent was used. For the ICP OES measurements we used only HNO3 at the concentrations specified above. The major contribution to the uncertainty of the final results was from the calibration solutions. A hydroxiapatite sample, produced in the Biomaterial Laboratory at the Brazilian Center for Physical Research (CBPF), presented compatible molar ratio results among themselves when analyzed by the techniques utilized in the present study.