A chronic shortage of dentists in the Western Isles is forcing patients to travel as far afield as Inverness for routine treatment.
The problem is most acute on Lewis and Harris where there is only one dentist per 3,138 people on the island.
NHS Western Isles has acknowledged the issue and has said it is working to resolve it – with plans a to open a new three dentist surgery in Stornoway later this year.
Fed-up islanders have now launched a petition urging the Scottish Government to solve the “appalling” lack of dental provision.
Margaret Murray of Lewis who launched the petition said there is a waiting list of at least five months just to register with a dentist – with some waiting as long as 18 months.
She said she has a friend who asked to be registered several months ago and has been in constant discomfort with her teeth.
But he was advised to wait until pain affects his sleep before he seeks emergency treatment because of the situation.
Ms Murray said: “The only way we can register as NHS dental patients at the moment is to travel away from the island, to a town such as Inverness.
“Such a journey not only requires considerable expense but depending on a person’s employment and family circumstances would also usually necessitate an overnight stay on the mainland. For many of us this would mean great inconvenience.
She added: “Many residents simply cannot afford the expense and inconvenience of travelling to Inverness every few months for dental treatment.”
An NHS Western Isles spokeswoman said: “NHS Western Isles recognises and acknowledges the current capacity issues in relation to Dental service provision on Lewis, and remains steadfast in its resolve to establish an efficient and effective model to meet current and future demands.”
She said as recently as 2013/14 there had been no waiting list on Lewis at all – but since then the number of dentists has dropped from 10 to 5.8 whole time equivalents.
She said that the service was under “active review” to improve sustainability.
At present Lewis & Harris has one dentist for every 3,138 population, Uist & Benbecula has one for every 1,615 population and Barra has one for every 1,160 people.
The spokeswoman added: “Proposals have been developed to redesign the service but unfortunately have not yet been agreed.
“Planning is at an advanced stage for a three dentist practice on Lewis which if successful could take 6,000 patients by Sept/ October 2017.”
The Scottish Government backed NHS Western Isles efforts to improve dental services.
A spokesman said: “NHS Western Isles are making continuous efforts to improve local access to NHS dental services, including active negotiation with an independent dental practitioner who wishes to open a new practice in Stornoway this year.
“During this period the Public Dental Service is accepting patients for priority groups for full registration. Emergency dental treatment is also provided to all unregistered patients through this service.”
“We are committed to ensuring that patients who wish to have access to NHS dental services are able to do so.
“Across Scotland, more than 4.9million people have now registered for NHS dental services, and the total number of independent dental practitioners providing NHS services have risen by more than 30% under this government.”