[Assessment of bone quality. Osteocyte function and bone quality].

Osteocytes have control over bone mineralization as well as resorption by regulating osteoblast function and by modulating phosphate handling and vitamin D activation in the kidney. Since osteocytes seem to be responsible for the detection as well as repairing of microdamages that accumulate with aging, interventions that promote the survival of osteocytes may be useful for the prevention of fragility fracture.