The multivariate PLS-DA modeling correctly identified most, but not all, children with WSL. The overlap may reflect similarities in the plaque and caries histories of children with and those without WSL. It may also reflect that WSL represents an early and reversible stage of caries, with only a subset of sites likely to progress if left untreated. This modeling approach is of particular value when there are more variables than study participants, and species that might be interdependent based on shared environmental requirements. Validity of the resulting model for classifying study participants will need testing in other samples.