DEAR ABBY: Several years ago, I read in your column about people having a problem with dry mouth.

I failed to keep the article in which you kindly offered information about my problem. Please print it again, and this time, I will make a note of the solution. I've read of other remedies, but I believe your information was the best. -- SPITTING COTTON

DEAR SPITTING COTTON: The column to which you referred was printed in October 1987, but here it is again:

DEAR ABBY: A while back you recommended a "saliva substitute" for people who suffer from dry mouth. Having suffered from that condition for two years, I went immediately to the pharmacy and asked for a saliva substitute. The pharmacist said she had never heard of such a product and told me to ask my dentist what the brand name was.

I called my dentist, and he had never heard of a saliva substitute either. Abby, can you tell me the name of this product and where it can be purchased? -- NEEDS IT IN ILLINOIS

DEAR NEEDS: I had no idea that the problem of "dry mouth" was so widespread until I mentioned it in my column and was promptly deluged with letters from readers seeking relief from that condition.

There are at least four brands of saliva substitutes on the market today. Ask your pharmacist to check the Annual Pharmacists' Reference Red Book, Facts and Comparisons, or Physicians' Desk Reference for Non-Prescription Drugs under "Saliva Substitutes."

Readers, for your information, "xerostomia" (dry mouth) can be caused by disease, medication, radiation therapy or the normal aging process. This condition can cause acute discomfort, tooth decay, inability to eat, swallow or talk, as well as difficulty in wearing dentures.

If your pharmacist has never heard of it and doesn't know where to get saliva substitutes, find another pharmacist.

DEAR ABBY: I am writing to thank you for an article that you ran recently that has given me more relief and comfort than I can describe.

I am 83, male and reasonably healthy, but in recent years I've been terribly troubled with a dry mouth -- especially at night. I complained to my doctor. He just shrugged his shoulders. Then I read your column in the San Francisco Chronicle, and my prayers were answered! In response to a letter asking why a person would use a mouth spray in public, you quoted a dentist who said that as a result of disease, medication, radiation therapy or simply aging, a number of people suffer from "xerostomia" (dry mouth).

I immediately phoned my druggist, and he had never heard of a saliva substitute, so I told him to call his supplier and order it.

He did, and the next day I picked it up and used it. Abby, I will be eternally grateful to you and that dentist. No more dry mouth! God bless you. -- GRATEFUL IN PARADISE, CALIF.

DEAR GRATEFUL: I'll print your letter for the benefit of others who suffer from dry mouth and are not aware of saliva substitutes.

Most teen-agers do not know the facts about drugs, AIDS, and how to prevent unwanted pregnancy. It's all in Abby's updated, expanded booklet, "What Every Teen Should Know." To order, send a business-size, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, Ill. 61054. (Postage is included.)

DEAR ABBY: I read with interest the letter from Dr. Marvin Leaf suggesting that the fact that a person has died from a smoking-related disease should be included in his or her obituary. But why stop there?

Since obese people are inclined to have high blood pressure and arteries clogged with cholesterol, making them prime candidates for fatal heart attacks, an obituary might read: "Harold H. Smith, age 57 and 55 pounds overweight, succumbed suddenly last Sunday from a fatal heart attack." (His cholesterol level and blood pressure could also be included here.)

And, because studies have shown that there is definitely a connection between breast cancer and dietary fat, the obituary of Mary Jones might read: "Mary Jones, whose passion for ice cream, butter and barbecued ribs proved to be truly a fatal attraction, died Monday after a long bout with cancer."

Also, let's not forget those who have died of AIDS. This is America; the people have a right to know! -- STUART M. JOHNSON, LONG ISLANDER

DEAR STUART: Thanks for an amusing piece of satire. Laughter is sometimes very close to tears.

DEAR ABBY: May I add a few words to the letter from "One Hopeless Guy" who decided to chew tobacco instead of smoke it?

Let me tell you what "dipping snuff" will do to you:

The nicotine from the tobacco seeps into your bloodstream, causing the arteries to constrict. The blood platelets become sticky, while the heart starts to pound. Since the heart is beating faster through narrowing arteries, the blood pressure rises, increasing the chances of heart disease and stroke.

While all of this is going on, the tobacco that has been stuffed between the cheek and gums is leaving a white lesion -- a precancerous condition that becomes malignant in from 3 percent to 5 percent of the cases. Your teeth will scream for a dentist, not to mention the fact that your chances for developing cancer of the lip, nasal sinus, pharynx, larynx and esophagus also increase.

Your sense of taste and smell are diminished, which could result in the excessive use of salt, putting you at risk for high blood pressure and/or kidney disease. Also, too much sugar may invite dental problems.

I know this is not pleasant, Abby, but people who dip snuff need to know the facts. -- RON JETTE, OTTAWA, CANADA

P.S. As my stationery indicates, I am director of communications of the Lung Association.

DEAR RON JETTE: On behalf of those who dip snuff -- or consider it the lesser evil to smoking -- I thank you.

DEAR ABBY: You told "Foolish and Sorry," an Orange County girl, that you knew of no way to remove tattooed eyeliner. There are, however, ways that ophthalmologists specializing in cosmetic surgery of the eye can remove permanent eyeliner.

"Foolish and Sorry" should contact the university eye center nearest to her to find out if there is an oculoplastic surgeon who is experienced in removing tattooed eyeliner. -- KATHLEEN F. LOUDEN, CHICAGO

Everything you'll need to know about planning a wedding can be found in Abby's booklet, "How to Have a Lovely Wedding." To order, send a long, business-size, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: Dear Abby, Wedding Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, Ill. 61054. (Postage is included.)

DEAR ABBY: With all this talk about condoms, there's not a word about how to dispose of them safely. Are we assuming that condoms are used only in the privacy of one's own bedroom? Or do we see the real world and know that they are used anywhere and everywhere?

No mention is ever made of sanitary disposal. To a casual stroller, it would seem that accepted disposal is gravity. A walk in the park, and guess what? Your toddler just picked up an interesting little item. Or one cuts through the parking lot and finds evidence of what has been going on at an earlier time. Please, can't we protect others from the very thing the condom user is protecting himself from?

As the mother of a toddler 40 years ago, I was appalled when she found a "balloon" and was blowing it up!

With the enormous increase in demand, condom manufacturers can well afford individual packages that unfold to make a proper receptacle for disposal. I hope this makes your well-read column. -- MRS. E.S., SAN DIEGO

DEAR MRS. E.S.: Thank you for an excellent suggestion. I hope the condom manufacturers pick up on it. It would be a public service.

DEAR ABBY: I am a 14-year-old girl who regularly baby-sits on weekends. The child is wonderful, but his mother is the one I'm having trouble with.

Every time I baby-sit, I wait weeks to get paid. On some occasions, I have even had to call this woman and ask her to please pay me so I can buy birthday presents, etc. I feel pushy and greedy doing this, but how else do I go about it?

So, Abby, please ask your readers to consider their children's sitters. After all, you can put off the telephone bill for only so long before the phone company disconnects your telephone. -- SITTER IN WAITING

DEAR SITTER: It's customary to pay the sitter immediately after the sitter has sat.

No need to feel "pushy" or "greedy" -- be up-front with the woman and tell her you expect to be paid promptly following each sitting. The squeaky wheel gets the oil -- so speak up.

DEAR ABBY: Your rerun on hugging is now out of date. It should be published with the following warning:

If you are a man and you hug a child, you may be accused of child molestation or pedophilia.

If you hug a woman, you could be charged with sexual harassment.

If you hug another man, you are suspected of being gay.

Well, you can still hug a dog. 0r can you? -- JIM TRUMAN, GRASS VALLEY, CALIF.

DEAR JIM: Yes, but only with the dog's permission.

By popular request, Abby shares more of her favorite prize-winning, easy-to-prepare recipes. To order, send a long, business-size, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, Ill. 61054. (Postage is included.)