Smoking Hookah/Sheesha vs Cigarettes and Chances of getting Mouth Cancer

The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice ... 'Who are YOU?' said the Caterpillar.  
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - by Lewis Carroll

Perhaps there are many who've read this passage more than once without thinking to establish what the caterpillar was doing with a 'hookah' in its mouth, but either Lewis Carroll was making some oblique reference to Middle Eastern culture, or, seemingly more likely judging by the rest of the book, he was implying that the caterpillar is well-and-truly stoned. 

But all this gives us a false sense of safety which needs to be rationally thought over. Which brings us to one important question...

"Hookah smoking: Is it safer than smoking cigarettes?"

There is a myth that hookah smoking is safer than smoking cigarettes because the hookah smoke is filtered through water before it is inhaled. But recent studies have found that hookah smokers actually inhale more nicotine than do cigarette smokers because of the massive volume of smoke they inhale. 

The hookah operates by water-filtration and indirect heat. Hookah (Shisha) smokers may feel that the hookah is a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes, but doctors take a dim view of this. Whereas smoking a fag lasts around five minutes, a full-on hookah experience can last 45 minutes, meaning users inhale a larger volume of smoke than they would from a cigarette.

Cancer: Studies have shown lung and bladder cancer rates are higher among water-pipe smokers than among nonsmokers, and they are also at risk from pulmonary disease and other types of malignancies such as Oral Cancer.

                                                                                                                          Source: Mouthcancerfoundation.org and h2g2.com