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Belinda Farias Nicolau

Title: 
Professor
Belinda Farias Nicolau
Contact Information
Phone: 
514-398-4400 Ext 094655
Email address: 
belinda.nicolau [at] mcgill.ca
Biography: 

Belinda Nicolau obtained a DDS degree from the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil and a PhD degree in Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London, London, UK. After a brief stint at the Department of Oral Pathology also at University College London, she pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University. Belinda held positions as Assistant and Associate Professor at Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit at INRS Institut Armand Frappier. In 2012, she began her position as an Associate professor and then a Full Professor at the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences at McGill University. She is also an Associate Member of the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupation Health and the Department of Oncology at McGill University. Belinda’s work focuses on oral epidemiology; specifically, she studies the aetiology of chronic oral diseases, including oral cancer and oral inflammation, using epidemiological and life course approaches. She is an associate editor at the ‘Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology Journal’ and a Reviewing Editor of ‘E-Life’ Journal. She is the Director of the Oral Cancer group of the Network for Oral Health Research and past President of the Canadian Association for Dental Research.

Areas of expertise: 
  • Oral Epidemiology
  • Life Course Approach to Oral Health
Office: 
2001 McGill College, Suite 527
Research areas: 
Population Oral Health
Selected publications: 
  1. Sapir-Pichhadze R, Laprise C, Beauchamp M-E, Kaouache M, Zhang X, Della Vecchia A, Azoulay L, Franco EL, Abrahamowicz M, Nicolau B. (2023) Immunosuppression and cancer risk in kidney transplant recipients: A retrospective cohort study. International Journal of Cancer, under review.
  2. Leslie Kouam, Belinda Nicolau, Marie-Claude Rousseau, Hugues Richard, Philippe Corsenac, Marie-Elise Parent Second-to-fourth-digit ratio (2D:4D) as a potential biomarker of prostate cancer odds, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, under review.
  3. Atique M*, Muniz I, Farshadi F, Hier M, Mlyanrek A, Macarella M, Maschietto M, Nicolau B, Alaoui-Jamali MA, da Silva SD (2023) Genetic Mutations Associated with Inflammatory Response Caused by HPV Integration in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Biomedicines, https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/12/1/24
  4. Alli BY*, Tran SD, Hu J, Nicolau B. Chemoprevention of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers: a review of potential agents. the Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine, under review.
  5. Al-Soneidar W*, Harper S, Coutlée F, Gheit T, Tomassino M, Nicolau B. (2023) Prevalence of Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Human Papillomaviruses (HPV) in head and neck cancer patients and non-cancer controls and relation to behavioral factors. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, https://academic.oup.com/jid/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/infdis/jiad335/7242911?utm_source=advanceaccess&utm_campaign=jid&utm_medium=email
  6. Duran D*, Calderón R, Nicolau B, Kaufman JS. (2023) Cancer mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, Chile, and Peru: Analysis by recorded place of death, Cadernos de Saude Publica, 39(11):e00057423. https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-311XEN057423
  7. Alli BY*, Madathil S, Tran SD, Nicolau B. (2023) Protocol: Carrageenan for the prevention of oral HPV infection: a feasibility randomized clinical trial, BMJ Open, 13:e074498. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-074498
  8. Rohani K*, Nicolau B, Madathil, Booij L, Jafarpour D, Bhoopathi Haricharan P, Feine J, Alchini R, Tamimi F, de Souza, R. (2023) Cholinergic activity as a pathway explaining oral and cognitive health: A cluster analysis study, JDR Clinical & Translational Research, Salmon C, Quesnel-Vallée A, Barnett TA, Benedetti A, Cloutier M-S, Datta GD, Kestens Y, Nicolau B, M-É Parent M-É. (2023) Neighborhood social deprivation and risk of prostate cancer. British Journal of Cancer, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41416-023-02299-7.
  9. Ghanati H*, Madathil S, Al-Tamimi M*, Al-Asmar Z, Morris M, Nicolau B. (2023) What is the current status of prognostic risk prediction modeling for head and neck cancer? A scoping review. Community Dental Health, 40, 252–260.
  10. Abusamak M*, Al-Tamimi M, Al-Waeli H, Tahboub K, Cai W, Morris M, Tamimi F, Nicolau B. (2023) Chronotherapy in Dentistry: A Scoping Review. Chronobiology International,40(5):684-697. https://doi.org/10.1080/07420528.2023.2200495
  11. Guichon J, Nicolau B, Brondini M, Mitchell I, D'Souza V. (2022) Letter to the editor: Critical windows of fluoride neurotoxicity in Canadian children by Farmus and colleagues. Environmental Research, 111315.
  12. Oliveira RC*, Silva RV, Assis EC, Schuwarten GCC, Carvalho GC, Tolentino Júnior DS, Mendonça AVM, Nicolau B, Vargas AMD; Ferreira EF. (2022) Social perceptions about the pattern of use of cachaça among indigenous peoples of the Maxakali ethnic group in Brazil, Research Society and Development, v. 11, n. 16 e 502111635330, 2022, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i16.35330.
  13. Junges R, Bajalan A, Bui T, Salvador G, Marques D, Schumacher A*, Rösing CK, Dahle UR, Petersen F, Ricomini Filho AP, Nicolau B. (2022) Awareness regarding antimicrobial resistance and confidence to prescribe antibiotics in Dentistry: a cross-continental student survey, Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, https://aricjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13756-022-01192-x.
  14. Nicolau B, Eslamiamirabadi N*, Dudubo O*, Nha Hong Q, Bedos C, Macdonald ME. (2023) How to use mixed methods in oral health research, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36749665/
  15. Alli BY*, Duran D*, Madathil S, Nicolau B. (2022) Occupation as a measure of life course socioeconomic position and the risk of oral cancers in India" Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, https://www.10.1111/cdoe.12797.
  16. Al-Soneider WA*, Harper S, Alli BY*, Nicolau B. (2022) Interaction of HPV16 and Cutaneous HPV in Head and Neck Cancer. Cancer, https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/14/21/5197.
  17. Alli BY*, Upadhyay A, Zhang Y, Nicolau B, Tran S. (2022) In Vitro Toxicity Evaluation of Carrageenan on Cells and Tissues of the Oral Cavity Mar Drugs, 20(8):502: DOI:Al-Soneider WA*, Harper S, Madathil S, Schlecht N, Nicolau B. (2022) Do cutaneous human papillomavirus genotypes affect head and neck cancer? Evidence and bias-correction from a case-control study. Cancer Epidemiology, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35780522/
  18. Ying Y*, Madathil S, Nicolau B. (2022) Association between the second- and fourth-digit ratio and oral squamous cell carcinoma. Oral Diseases, published online June 07, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1111/odi.14270
  19. Rios L*, Nicolau B, Madathil S, Freire M. (2022) Association between Sense of Coherence and Motivation to Start and Stop Smoking among Adolescent Students  Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 158:110926 https://doi.org//10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.110926.
  20. Eslamiamirabadi N, Nurelhuda, NM, Nicolau B, Macdonald ME. (2022) Advancing a programme theory for community-level oral health promotion programmes for humanitarian migrants: a realist review protocol. BMJ open 12:e049923. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-049923.
  21. Madathil S, Rousseau M-C, Joseph L, Alli B*, Duran D*, Nicolau B. (2022) Life course tobacco smoking and risk of HPV-negative oral cancers in two countries. Frontier Oral Health, DOI https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/froh.2022.844230/full.
  22. Tamimi Z, Abusamak M*, Al-Waeli H*, Al-Tamimi M*, Habashneh R, Ghanim M, Al-Nusair M, Gao Q, Nicolau B, Tamimi F. (2022) NSAID chronotherapy after impacted third molar extraction: a randomized controlled trial, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s10006-021-01029-8.
  23. Nurelhuda NM, Keboa MT, Lawrence HP, Nicolau B, Macdonald ME. (2021) Advancing Our Understanding of Dental Care Pathways of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Canada: A Qualitative Study, Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 18, 8874. DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168874
  24. Al-Hamed FS, Kouniaris S, Tamimi I, Lordkipanidzé M, Madathil S, Kezouh A, Karp I, Nicolau B, Tamimi F. (2021) Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and risk of bleeding and acute ischemic events in non-hypertensive Alzheimer's patients. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, 2021,7:e12184,1-9, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/trc2.12184
  25. Al-Waeli H*, Reboucas AP*, Mansour A, Morris M, Tamimi F, Nicolau B. (2021) Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and bone healing in animal models—a systematic review and meta-analysis. Systematic Review, 8,10(1):201, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-021-01690-w.
  26. Marouf N, Cai W, Said KN, Daas H, Diab H, Chinta VR, Hssain AA, Nicolau B, Sanz M, Tamim F. (2021) Association between periodontitis and severity of COVID-19 infection: A case–control study. Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 48(4):483-491, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpe.13435
  27. Deps TD*, França EC, Valadares ER, Nicolau B, Pordeus IA, Borges-Oliveira AC. (2021) Oral health of Brazilian individuals with mucopolyssaccaridosis Eur Arch Paediatr Dent Feb,22(1):13-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40368-020-00508-y.
  28. Petersen FC, Dahle UR, Nicolau B, Casals-Pascual C. (2020) COVID-19: Looking Into the Overlooked, Frontier in Molecular Bioscience, Vol. 7, Article 165, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmolb.2020.00165.
  29. Deps TD*, Carneiro NCR, Nicolau B, Pordeus IA, Borges-Oliveira AC. (2020) Oral health-related quality of life of young people with mucopolysaccharidosis: a paired cross-sectional study Brazilian Oral Research, 34:e109, www.scielo.br/j/bor/a/JLyrwtbBDQxpSnFjMjnWRmy/?lang=en.
  30. Gaio DC*, Bastos FI, Moysés SJ, Moysés ST, Corrêa da Mota J, Nicolau B, Ignacio S, Cubas MR, Vettorazzi MLT, Gonçalves Dos Santos ZFD, Werneck RI. (2020) Assessing oral health of crack users in brazil: perceptions and associated factors, findings from a mixed method study. Global Public Health. 16(4):502-516, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2020.1809693.
  31. Alli BY*, Burk RD, Fatahzadeh M, Grossberg RM, Smith RV, Ow J T, Wiltz M, Polanco J, Rousseau M-C, Nicolau B, Schlecht, NF. (2020) HIV modifies the effect of tobacco smoking on oral human papillomavirus infection. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 222(4) 646–654, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiaa135.
  32. Auger N, Low N, Lee GE, Ayoub A, Nicolau B. (2020) Prenatal substance use disorders and dental caries in children, Journal of Dental Research, 99(4):395-401, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022034520906820.
  33. Durán D*, Al-Soneidar WA*, Madathil SA, Kaufman JS, Nicolau B. (2020) Quantitative Bias Analysis of misclassification in case-control studies: an example with Human Papillomavirus and Oropharyngeal Cancer. Community Dental Health, 37, (1):96-101, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1922/CDH_SpecialIssueNicolau06.
  34. H. Al-Waeli*, B. Nicolau, L. Stone, L. Abu Nada, Q. Gao, MN. Abdallah, E. Abdulkader, M. Suzuki, A. Mansour, A. Al Subaie & F. Tamimi (2020) Chronotherapy of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs May Enhance Postoperative Recovery. Scientific Reports 10, 468. DOI: https://10.1038/s41598-019-57215-y.
  35. Jessani AA*, Aleksejuniene, J, Phillips JC, Donnelly L, Nicolau B, Brondani M. (2020) What are the self-reported unmet dental treatment needs of people living with HIV in British Columbia? A case of minority sub-population in Canada. Journal of Public Health Dentistry, Published online January 17, https://doi.org/10.1111/jphd.12355.
  36. Auger N, Low N, Lee G, Lo E, Nicolau B. (2020) Maternal mental disorders before delivery and the risk of dental caries in children. Caries Research, 54(3):242-249.
  37. Mukherjee S, Madathil S*, Ghatak S, Jahau L, Pautu JL, Zohmingthanga J, Pachuau L, Nicolau B, Kumar NS. (2020). Association of tobacco smoke-infused water use by (Tuibur) Mizo people and risk of Helicobacter pylori infection.
    Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27:8580–8585. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-07543-3
  38. Madathil S*, Rousseau M-C, Joseph L, Coutlée F, Franco E, Nicolau B. (2020) Latency of tobacco smoking for head and neck cancer among HPV-positive and HPV-negative individuals. International Journal of Cancer, 147(1):56-64, https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.32708
  39. Gomaa N*, Glogauer M, Nicolau B, Tenenbaum H, Siddiqi A, Fine N, Quinonez C. (2020) Stressed-Out Oral Immunity: A Gateway from Social Adversity to Periodontal Disease? Psychosomatic Medicine, 82(2):126-137. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000000774.
  40. Keboa M, Enrique N, Martel M, Nicolau B, Macdonald M-E. (2020) Oral health implications of cannabis smoking: A rapid evidence review. Journal of Canadian Dental Association, 86:k2.
  41. Al-Soneidar WA*, Madathil SA*, Nicolau B. (2019) Commentary: Oral cancer examinations and lesion discovery as reported by U.S. general dentists. Preventive Medicine 124:124-125. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2019.04.016.
  42. AboSharkh H, Madathil S*, Al-Ghamdi O*, Agnihotram RV, Sinha A, Nicolau B, Makhoul N. (2019) A comprehensive clinical care pathway for microvascular maxillofacial and reconstructive surgery. Journal of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery 77(11):2347-2354., DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joms.2019.04.027.
  43. Sfreddo CS*, Moreira CHC, Nicolau B, Ortiz FR, Ardenghi TM. (2019) Socioeconomic inequalities in oral health-related quality of life in adolescents: A cohort study. Quality of Life Research, 28(9):2491-2500. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-019-02229-2.
  44. Hong QN*, Pluye P, Fàbregues S., Bartlett G., Boardman F, Cargo M, Dagenais P, Gagnon M-P, Griffiths F, Nicolau B, O’Cathain A, Rousseau M-C, Vedel I. (2019) Improving the content validity of the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT): a modified e-Delphi study. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 111:49-59. DOI: ThekkePurakkal A*, Nicolau B, Franco, E, Burk R, Schlecht N. (2019) Genetic variants in CYP and GST genes, smoking and risk for head and neck cancers: a gene-environment interaction hospital-based case-control study among Canadian Caucasians. Carcinogenesis, 40(9):1021-1069. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/carcin/bgz051.
  45. Keboa M*, Hovey R, Nicolau B, Esfandiari S, Carnevale F, Macdonald ME. (2019). Oral healthcare experiences of humanitarian migrants in Montreal, Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 110(4):453-461. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-019-00193-5.
  46. Macdonald ME, Keboa MT*, Nurelhuda NM, Lawrence HP, Carnevale F, McNally M, Singhal S, Ka K, Nicolau B. (2019) The oral health of refugees and asylum seekers in Canada: A mixed methods study protocol. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(4):542. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16040542.
  47. Jessani AA*, Aleksejuniene, J, Donnelly L, Phillips JC, Nicolau B, Brondani M. (2019) Dental care utilization: patterns and predictors in persons living with HIV in British Columbia, Canada. Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 79(2):124-136. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jphd.12304.
  48. Rajeh M*, Nicolau B, Qutob A, Pluye P, Esfandiari S. (2019) A survey of the barriers affecting the career practice and promotions of female dentists in Saudi Arabia. JDR Clinical & Translational Research, 4(2):187-195. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2380084418815458.
  49. Keboa M*, Nicolau B, Hovey R, Esfandiari S, Carnevale F, Macdonald ME. (2019) A qualitative study on the oral health of humanitarian migrants in Canada. Community Dental Health, 36(2):95-100. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1922/CDH_4455Keboa06.
  50. Laprise C*, Madathil SA*, Schlecht NF, Castonguay G, Soulières D, Nguyen-Tan PF, Allison P, Coutlée F, Hier M, Rousseau M-C, Franco EL, Nicolau B. (2019) Increased risk of oropharyngeal cancers mediated by oral human papillomavirus infection: Results from a Canadian study. Head and Neck, 41(3):678-685. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hed.25436.
  51. Nicolau B, Madathil SA*, Castonguay G, Parent M-É, Rousseau M-C, Siemiatycki J. (2019) Shared social mechanisms underlying the risk of nine cancers: a life course study. International Journal of Cancer, 144(1):59-67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.31719.
  52. Hong QN*, Fàbregues S, Bartlett G, Boardman F, Cargo M, Dagenais P, Gagnon M-P., Griffiths F, Nicolau B, O’Cathain A, Rousseau M-C, Vedel I, Pluye P. (2018). The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) version 2018 for information professionals and researchers. Education for Information, 34(4), 285-291. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3233/EFI-180221.
  53. Keboa MT*, Madathil SA*, Nicolau B. (2019) Perceived and assessed dental treatment needs of schoolchildren in Benoe Division, Cameroon. JDR Clinical & Translational Research, 4(2):160-166. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2380084418814485.
  54. Sfreddo CS*, Moreira CHC, Celeste RK, Nicolau B, Ardenghi TM. (2019) Pathways of socioeconomic inequalities in gingival bleeding among adolescents. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 47(2): 177-184. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cdoe.12441.
  55. de Oliveira RC, Nicolau BF, Levine A, Mendonça AVM, Videira V*, Duarte Vargas AM, Ferreira EF. (2019) When a Tihik drinks kaxmuk he neither has a father, nor a mother, or a brother": perceptions of Maxakali on the effects of sugarcane liquor consumption. Ciência e Saúde Coletiva, 24(8):2883-2894. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232018248.16992017.
  56. Madathil SA*, Blaser C, Nicolau B, Richard H, Parent M-E. (2018) Disadvantageous socioeconomic position at specific life periods may contribute to prostate cancer risk and aggressiveness. Frontiers in Oncology, 8:515. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2018.00515.
  57. Nicolau B, Madathil S*. (2018) Inconclusive evidence exists regarding the association between dental caries and BMI in children under age 18 years. Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice, 18(4):355-357. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebdp.2018.10.001.
  58. ThekkePurakkal AS*, Naimi AI, Madathil SA*, Kumamangalam Puthiyannal SH*, Netuveli G, Sacker A, Schlecht NF, Nicolau B. (2018) Differential impact of socioeconomic position across life on oral cancer risk in Kerala, India: An investigation of life‐course models under a time‐varying framework. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 46(6):592-600. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cdoe.12404.
  59. Madathil SA*, Joseph L, Hardy R, Rousseau M-C, Nicolau B. (2018) A Bayesian approach to investigate life course hypotheses involving continuous exposures. International Journal of Epidemiology, 47(5):1623-1635. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyy107.
  60. Nicolau B, Castonguay G, Madathil S*, Vuong T*, Almeida TDD*. (2018) Periodontal diseases and traumatic dental injuries in the pediatric population. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 65(5), 1051–1061. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2018.05.010.
  61. Madathil S*, Senthil Kumar N, Zodinpuii D, Muthukumaran RB, Lalmuanpuii R, Nicolau B. (2018) Tuibur: tobacco in a bottle – commercial production of tobacco smoke-saturated aqueous concentrate. Addiction, 113:577-580. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/add.14117.
  62. Tamimi I*, Nicolau B, Eimar H, Madathil SA*, Kezouh A, Karp I, Tamimi F. (2018) Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and the risk of osteoporotic fractures: Nested case-control study. Osteoporosis International, 29(4):849-857. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-017-4346-z.
  63. Furlini L, Noushi N*, Castonguay G, Allison P, Bedos C, De Souza R, Esfandiari S, Hovey R, Macdonald ME, Morris M, Nicolau B, Power F, Feine J. (2018) Assessing dental students’ readiness to treat populations that are underserved: A scoping review. Journal of Dental Education, 82(5):483-491. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21815/JDE.018.053.
  64. Rajeh M*, Nicolau B, Qutob A, Pluye P, Esfandiari S. (2018) The development and validation of a questionnaire measuring barriers to career progression faced by women dentists in Saudi Arabia. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 6: 131-146. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2018.63009.
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