Osteoporotic vertebral and hip fractures, which are very frequent among elderly, are associated to an excess of mortality, as well as to an important morbidity. In Switzerland, annual costs of in-patients' treatments of osteoporosis are beyond CHF 700 millions. As several effective treatments against osteoporosis are available, a systematic screening is justified. The methodical search for risk factors of fracture and the recognized medical indications for bone densitometry are of prime necessity. The appreciation of clinical symptoms associated to prevalent vertebral fractures (wall-occiput distance, ribs-pelvis distance) is an essential component to patients' approach. Thanks to technological progress in the field of DXA, which allows a visualisation of the spine from L4 to T4, this screening should become easier.