Jay
There are some advantages if used properly. Obviously overall maturity, experiences, and typically communication abilities are greater than the avg. out of college student. (ability to speak to authority, feel comfortable with face to face issues, life situations etc...)
However that being said giving a break on DAT, gpa, scholastic's in general is not something they typically do for the non-traditional. You still have to be competitive. Perhaps not 21+ on DATs but not 15-16s either. They are going to worry you're not prepared for the rigorous, time consuming, and at times complex/challenging course work that is dental school. If they feel you've been out of the loop for awhile and your DATs reconfirm this----it will be a concern. They invest a lot ($, time) in the people they choose for a seat----it's a business. If you're a questionable investment they may go with the no-brainer; it's a competitive field.
I was non-traditional, in the sense, I was out of college 5yrs, ran a business, came back, graduated dental school and now specializing. But it's important to show you can compete and more importantly survive 4 years of challenging course work; not to mention waxing teeth!
Just my 2 cents----get a incredible DAT score prove you can hang with the course work, and use your experiences to separate yourself from the boring college pre-dent.
