the continued erosion and replacement of bone tissue is called
Bone resorption The human body is in a constant state of bone remodeling.[4] Bone remodelling is a process which maintains bone strength and ion homeostasis by replacing discrete parts of old bone with newly synthesized packets of proteinaceous matrix.[5] Bone is resorbed by osteoclasts, and is deposited by osteoblasts in a process called ossification.[6] Osteocyte activity plays a key role in this process. Conditions that result in a decrease in bone mass can either be caused by an increase in resorption or by a decrease in ossification. During childhood, bone formation exceeds resorption. As the aging process occurs, resorption exceeds formation.[5]