Bone Mineral Density

Bone Mineral Density or BMD is a term that refers to the quantity of mineral  content per square centimeter of bone.

The BMD is the gold standard for the evaluation of the bone mass quantity.

The BMD is obtained in routine clinical practice via a dual-energy x-ray  absorptiometry (DEXA or DXA) scan.

The BMD is used in clinic as an indirect indicator of osteoporosis and fracture  risk. In order to use the BMD,  T-scores have been defined by the World  Health Organization.

The T-score compares your bone density to the average bone density of  young healthy adults of your same gender. Three T-score zones were defined:

 Normal bone mass (T-score > -1)

Low bone mass or osteopenia (-2.5 <T-score ≤-1)

Osteoporosis (T-score ≤ -2.5)