Efficacy of tailor-made notched music training (TMNMT) in the treatment of tinnitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis

IntroductionNumerous treatment modalities have been suggested for managing tinnitus. Tailor-Made Notched Music Training (TMNMT) is a viable strategy in music therapy for tinnitus management. Many research studies have examined the effectiveness and potential benefits of this intervention. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of TMNMT in treating chronic tinnitus.MethodsThis systematic review and meta-analysis study used a research methodology that covered up until February 2023. The search was conducted across academic databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. A total of 234 papers were evaluated, and seven relevant clinical trials were included.ResultsThe meta-analysis, which included five studies using the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), showed no statistically significant effect of TMNMT on tinnitus handicap after 3 and 6 months of intervention (dppc2: - 0.99, 95%CI - 2.94 to 0.96; I2 = 79.96%, p = 0.00), (dppc2 - 1.81, 95%CI - 5.63 to 2.01; I2 = 79.96%, p = 0.00). However, four out of five studies using the total Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) or its subscale showed positive effects of TMNMT on chronic tinnitus. Unfortunately, there were not enough articles to conduct a meta-analysis on this outcome.ConclusionAlthough the meta-analysis did not show a statistically significant effect of TMNMT on tinnitus handicap, the large effect size observed after at least 3 months of intervention suggests that this method may potentially decrease tinnitus handicap if more studies are conducted. Due to the limited number of studies, subgroup analysis could not be performed to analyze potential causes of heterogeneity. Therefore, further high-quality clinical trials are necessary to draw a definitive conclusion and evaluate the impact of different variables, techniques, and outcomes.