I'm a student at Maryland. We take it after D1.
Upside: Lots of the info is still fresh in our heads. It will be great to get the exam over with and just be able to focus on school from here on out. Also, a good/bad board score can dictate whether you're able to specialize - so if you get a 76, you can go into D2 focused more on the clinical aspect, and not on getting straight A's. Also, taking boards early allows us to enter clinic earlier. We basically enter clinic full-on as soon as D2 ends....but other schools have to wait for the D2s to take boards. Also, it's nice to have an entire summer to take them, so you can move at your own pace. School ended around May 15th - first student took boards around June 5th, and there are many students who will be taking them right before D2 begins on August 16th.
Downside: We never got a biochemistry course. Biochem makes up a HUGE chunk of the exam, and we are responsible for learning/re-learning all of that info on our own. It's a lot of pressure to have after just one year of dental school, knowing that your specialty plans could be set after this. And you don't really get to enjoy a summer after D1.
My Take: I really like taking them after D1. It's stressful, but D2 sucks EVERYWHERE, and I would really like to know whether I have a shot at studying before I start it. If I scrape by with a 76, then I'll focus more on pre-clinic and "important/relevant" classes. If I score a 90+, I'll be motivated to shoot for an A in every class. I'm excited.
