THE harrowing plight of war refugees is on our TV screens so often that some of us may have become a bit blasé about it.

So the Tele’s report on a Port Glasgow dental nurse who went to Greece to assist people who have fled from Syria should help to remind us of the terrors being faced by so many.

Debbie Coyle volunteers with Dentaid, who despatch treatment teams around the world for those who can’t get proper dental care.

She says bluntly of the refugee crisis: “This trip has changed my life. I want to raise awareness of their plight, and also help change how it is for them, as it’s just horrible.”

Many of us have probably experienced excruciating toothache that gnaws at your brain until you manage to get to the dentist.

But we can’t imagine what it must be like to have had to run for your life, leaving your home, possessions and job behind, to be worried sick about how you will care for your family in an emergency camp... and then to get toothache as well.

Inverclyde dental practices have helped Dentaid by donating toothbrushes and toothpaste, items that we take for granted but are prized possessions in cold, damp tents where mice and rats are running around and children may have no shoes or jackets.

It’s something to think about the next time you sit in the dentist’s comfortable waiting room dreading your appointment.