Strontium throws off the DEXA by filling in gaps and can replace calcium. But it's not bone or contributing to making bone. Compare it to using spackle to fill in a gap in a concrete pillar. The surface can look smooth but not have the same strength or integrity as the concrete when initially constructed. Since the DEXA measures density, strontium can cause an error rate as high as 50%, in estimating actual real bone material according to some research studies found on Google Scholar.

The other important issue is that strontium, not being living bone, 'crowds' out calcium that might have filled in the gap itself in the course of bone renewal. That is, strontium has the ability to crowd out calcium. In the analogy cited above, consider the spackle filler permanent so it cannot later be replaced with actual concrete.

There were good reasons, including side effects, that strontium drugs for osteoporosis were taken off the market in Europe. And the remaining one available, in the U.K., is black labeled as a kind of last-ditch med for those with severe osteoporosis for whom no other available med can be used for other reasons. There are a few different forms of strontium and some are suitable included, in tiny amounts, in vitamin supplements among other trace minerals suitable for human ingestion. But there's no science that I could find recommending large doses for osteopenia or osteoporosis. And, again, since it integrates into bone but isn't shed in the normal course of events, it could make some of the drugs that actually grow bond not effective or recommended. I understand the notion of wanting to fill in lacey bone but a permanent inappropriate filler that the body isn't adapted to deal with in large amounts is not a solution at all.