Unless you are in the 99th percentile of applicants on DAT's and GPA, dental experience is essential. Some schools require a certain amount (with a signed form). Some schools will not accept ANY students with out some experience. But, like Gavin, I think that you will benefit from experience more than your application will.
Essentially every applicant is going to have some experience under their belt. Some applicants will have have "show me" experience, random shadowing here and there. Realistically, just enough to "look interested." Others, will have extensive experience, such as years of working, some even as hygenists etc. Extensive experience can make a mediocre application into something special. "Show me" experience will not do much other than tell the school you arent applying just for fun.
Back to how it benefits you, consider this: you will not graduate with every student you started dental with. But, dental schools will be quick to tell you that the students that leave did so because they ended up not liking dentistry. NYU, which drops a certain percentage automatically, is the exception here.
I would hate to be 160,000 in debt as a D3, when clinics start, only to realize that looking at mouths all day isnt going to work.
Get some good experience. If you really enjoy dentistry, it won't be a chore. Don't cook me for saying this, but I feel that any person willing to make a decision as big as choosing dentistry as a career should be so intrigued and excited by the profession as to search out opportunites regardless of whether or not it would help an application.
