Southwestern College opened the state-of-the-art Dental Clinic in 2001 at its Higher Education Center located at 880 National City Boulevard, National City, California. The HEC, a 47,000 square foot, $13 million dollar, Proposition AA-funded facility, features 12 classrooms, various laboratories, a lecture hall, and a Family Resource and Child Care Center.

The Dental Hygiene Clinic has 18 ADEC radius chairs with embedded computer systems included flat-screen monitors and wireless keyboards.

The Radiology Department is equipped with 4 chairs and 4 x-ray untis with digital radiography technology.

The new clinic was opened under the direction of Christine Perri, M.A., now Interim Dean of the Higher Education Center, with substantial funding from the San Diego County Dental Health Foundation. Dental Hygiene students provide extensive free health care services to the community as part of their clinical studies. The clinical and academic facilities at the HEC provide an ideal setting for the professional development seminars offered by SDDS in affiliation with Southwestern College.