A previous study by our lab showed that as dental caries advanced, the odontoblast layers were disrupted, dental pulp cells displayed extensive staining for HIF-1α and NLRP3, and the upregulation of HIF-1α was associated with the activation of the NLRP3/CASP1 inflammasome pathway in irreversible pulpitis in vivo [21]. The gene discussed is NLRP3; the disease is dental caries.