Preventing osteoporosis: outcomes of the Australian Fracture Prevention Summit

In reply: On behalf of the writing group, I wish to thank Carey and Plehwe for their perceptive comment on the effects of cigarette smoking on bone health. The focus of our supplement was the prevention of fragility fractures, and unfortunately there is no evidence that smoking cessation reduces fracture rate. However, the authors are correct to emphasise the negative impact of cigarette smoking on fracture healing, bone graft incorporation and bone density, the last factor being a strong predictor of fragility fracture.