Measuring Bone Mineral Density in Archaeological Bone using Energy Dispersive Low Angle X-Ray Scattering Techniques

Measurement of trabecular bone mineral density might play an important role in the determination of levels of osteoporosis in a sample population of archaeological bones. Low angle X-ray scattering (LAXS) is a technique that can be configured to measure trabecular bone density only. LAXS measurements were made on 30 femora and 25 fourth lumbar vertebrae. This is the first study in which the technique has been applied to archaeological bone. Measurements were also made using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and photodensitometry techniques. The results were compared with bone mineral density values obtained by weighing and measuring the volume of the samples. LAXS showed the most accurate and precise results for the measurement of trabecular bone in the femora and vertebrae with a correlation coefficient of approximatelyr=0·8 and 0·9 respectively, compared withr=0·64 and 0·74 for DEXA andr=0·78 and 0·85 for photodensitometry.