Association of bone mineral density and pediatric fractures

Bone mineral density in the lumbar spine and the left femoral neck was measured for a group of 17 children, 3-14 years of age, who had sustained traumatic fractures. Children with any signs of metabolic bone disease were excluded from the study. Identical measurements were made on an age- and sex-matched control population using dual photon absorptiometry. Analysis of bone mineral measurements revealed that there were no statistically significant differences between the lumbar and femoral neck densities of the two groups. The results indicate that reduced bone density is unlikely to play a significant role in acute traumatic pediatric fractures.