According to the World Health Organisation, 30 % of the population suffers from osteoporosis and the numbers are increasing. In fact osteoporotic fractures are more common than strokes, heart attacks and breast cancer combined.

Certain populations are more susceptible to suffer from osteoporosis. For example, osteoporosis is a major health problem among post menopausal women. Osteoporosis also affects men - 25% of men over the age of 50 suffer from the disease.

Even more alarming than the percentage of the population who suffer from osteoporosis however, is the percentage of cases that go untreated. More than 90% of women at risk for osteoporotic fractures are not being treated.

This is especially troublesome, because at present, there is no effective method for restoring high quality bone to an osteoporotic skeleton. The key to combating this disease is prevention. Prevention requires early diagnosis and early treatment, and in order to achieve this, reliable equipment is necessary.