Reference values for radial bone width and mineral content using single photon absorptiometry in healthy children aged 4 to 10 years.

Bone width and mineral content were measured in 420 healthy Cambridge children aged 4 to 10 years using single photon absorptiometry. The results are expressed first in the form of standard centile charts, with additional prediction charts which provide body-size-adjusted estimates for the measurements, and interpretation centiles for comparing these estimates with the actual measurements. The values obtained are similar to those reported for American children aged five to six years after adjusting for body-size differences.

Bone growth and mineralisation in children aged 4 to 10 years.

The relationships between bone width and mineral content and age, sex, height and weight were studied in 420 children aged 4-10 years living in Cambridge using single photon absorptiometry. The relationship of bone width with bone mineral content was significantly different between the sexes after adjusting for differences in body size. In addition, bone width in boys was found to be greater for a given height and weight; changes in weight had a greater effect on bone width in boys than in girls.