Dr. Lilia Larin worked as a registered dental assistant, earned her dental degree in Baja California, and went on to lead the Dental Board of California, which lists her as its president. She also still runs a family dental office in National City. At South Coast Dental on Mile of Cars Way, Larin practices alongside her two sons, Dr. Ricardo Peralta and Dr. Aldo Peralta, and her daughter-in-law, Dr. Ana Victoria Tueme, according to the practice website.
A practice rooted in National City
National City is the second-oldest city in San Diego County, incorporated in 1887, and counted 56,173 residents in the 2020 Census. Its name comes from Rancho de la Nación, the Mexican-era land grant the Kimball brothers bought in 1868. The street where the office sits takes its name from the Mile of Cars, a stretch of auto dealerships that dates to the city’s first car dealership in 1904 and adopted the name in 1955. The practice describes its location as convenient to the 5 and 54 freeways.
Who is Dr. Lilia Larin
The Dental Board of California’s biography says Larin lives in Chula Vista, has been in private practice since 1992, and earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery from the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California after working as a registered dental assistant. She was first appointed to the board in 2018 and reappointed in 2021 and 2025. Her term runs to January 2029. Her California dentist license, number 37855, was issued in October 1989 and is listed as current and active, with no public disciplinary actions shown.
The board lists past presidencies of the National Hispanic Dental Association, the American Association of Women Dentists, the San Diego County Dental Society, the San Diego Academy of General Dentistry and the San Diego Association of Women Dentists. It also notes that she founded the Hispanic Dental Association’s San Diego binational chapter and received DentaQuest’s “Health Equity Heroes” award. She is a fellow of the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists.
Her practice biography lists volunteer work with CDA Cares, Give Kids a Smile, Flying Samaritans and San Diego Share the Care, as well as free sealant clinics at Southwestern College’s dental hygiene program. It says she organizes free dental clinics for children in Mexico and has spoken about oral health on English- and Spanish-language broadcasts, including KPBS and Univision.
A family team
According to the practice, Dr. Ricardo Peralta first got interested in dentistry as a boy, assisting his mother at South Coast Dental. Both he and Dr. Aldo Peralta studied dentistry at a De La Salle university program. The practice says Ricardo is a certified Invisalign provider with training in sleep apnea, and that Aldo concentrates on general, family and cosmetic dentistry, with an interest in surgical and restorative work.
What the office offers
South Coast Dental says it offers general, restorative, cosmetic and specialty dentistry. Its website and Demandforce listing mention cleanings, fillings, crowns and bridges, root canals, implants and implant-supported dentures, dentures, periodontal therapy, extractions, Invisalign, whitening, veneers, children’s dentistry, nitrous oxide and sleep apnea appliances.
Questions patients ask
What are the office hours?
The practice lists Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday is by appointment, and the office is closed Sunday. The phone number is (619) 477-1970.
Does the office speak Spanish?
The practice’s Demandforce listing names English and Spanish, and the website has a Spanish-language section (“En Español”).
Where exactly is the office, and is insurance accepted?
The Dental Board and the federal NPI registry list the practice location as 202 Mile of Cars Way, National City, CA 91950. The practice’s contact page gives 400 Mile of Cars Way, Suite A, which the NPI registry lists as its mailing address, so call ahead for directions. The practice says it welcomes dental insurance, will bill insurers on the patient’s behalf and offers CareCredit financing. It does not say whether it accepts Medi-Cal Dental.
This profile was written from public information only. Dentist News Today did not interview the practice, and coverage is never paid. Dr. Larin’s role on the Dental Board is noted as public record; the board has no connection to this article.
Sources
- National City, CA Dentist | South Coast Dental, South Coast Dental
- Meet the Doctors, South Coast Dental
- Our Practice, South Coast Dental
- Contact Us, South Coast Dental
- Board Members, Dental Board of California
- License details: Larin, Lilia (Dentist 37855), Dental Board of California / Department of Consumer Affairs
- South Coast Dental, Demandforce
- NPI 1952431256: Lilia Larin, DDS, CMS NPI Registry
- National City, California, Wikipedia
- Mile of Cars, Wikipedia
- Census Geocoder: 202 Mile of Cars Way, National City, CA 91950, U.S. Census Bureau
