Efficacy of Ozone Therapy in the Treatment of Tinnitus: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND

Tinnitus is a frequent complaint in otorhinolaryngology. The symptoms of tinnitus those are severe enough to significantly affect the quality of life. Numerous therapeutic interventions and studies claim success in the treatment of tinnitus, but the cure remains undefined. However, ozone therapy has been suggested as potential treatment for tinnitus.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aims to investigate the efficacy of ozone therapy in the treatment of tinnitus.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A systematic search was performed in MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar, Embase and LILACS. Data was processed by two independent reviewers. Only Systematic Reviews, Randomized Controlled Trials, Observational Studies and Case Series published in English or Spanish with no date limit that evaluated the use of ozone therapy for the treatment of tinnitus were included.

RESULTS

From 264 references retrieved after duplicates removal, 260 articles were excluded according to the pre-established selection criteria. The assessed articles were then subjected to risk of bias analysis, and one of them was excluded.

CONCLUSIONS

High-level evidence, such as well-conducted randomized clinical trials, are still needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of this therapy.