The purpose of this study was to examine the stress distribution in distal cantilevered fixed partial dentures (FPDs) that are designed with different cantilever morphology and made from different restorative materials. The finite element (FE) method was used to create models of two restoration types; metal-ceramic and an all-ceramic FPDs. Both models were designed with distal cantilevers involving the first and second premolars as abutments and cantilever extension involving at the premolar or molar. The width of connector between the cantilever and the primary abutment restoration was 2-25 mm. The load applied during the FE analysis was positioned at the cusp tips of all teeth. The FE analysis of the models revealed that Von Mises stress values with maximum stress concentrations were observed on connectors of distal cantilevers. Stress concentration sites were also observed at the distal cervical area of the second premolar tooth. Models with premolar cantilever extensions restored with all-ceramic induced lower Von Mises stress values than metal-ceramic restorations, however models with molar cantilever extensions restored with all-ceramic restorations induced higher Von Misses stress values than metal-ceramic restorations. If the distal cantilever length and restorative material is appropriately chosen, the failure frequency may be reduced. All ceramic can be used as restorative material, when the cantilevers length is not more than the mesiodistal dimension of a premolar tooth and metal-ceramic restorations can be used in longer situations. © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.