So here is what I do know:
If you think about it from an admissions committee perspective, they need to put together a 'full class'. Now, this will NEVER consist of all students with 4.0 GPAs and 25+ DATs. They want a diverse class. If they selected only students like that, then they'd have an over competitive class that will have conflicts with each other.
That being said, most dental schools will select students with higher test scores and lower GPAs because that shows them that, 'OK, they understand the material according to the test, but don't have a highest GPA.' When it comes to ranking students in the class, they would see that person as a 'middle of the road' student that will succeed and graduate, be a competent dentist, but not necessarily be the competitive one at the top.
The more people I meet from my incoming class, the more I understand how they select people...
But as many of the posts above state, applying early is the best thing you can do...