Bone densitometry in children assessed by dual x ray absorptiometry: uses and pitfalls

The importance of bone growth and mineralisation during childhood for bone health in adult life is increasingly accepted, with both nutritional factors(1) and exercise(2) being recognised as influential for normal skeletal development. The appreciation that infancy and childhood are important periods of life for bone development has led to a need for suitable methods for monitoring bone health, both for research purposes and for clinical monitoring of individuals, and hence to an increasing use of bone densitometry in children. This review discusses the role and potential pitfalls of this technique.